Sharing Our Hearts
by Ury Salunide
Summary: Sakura is not doing well after Sasuke leaves the village. Hinata comforts her. This series follows the two through the hardships that blossom and nurture their love for one another. Chapter 17 starts the second part of the series, which follows Ino's perspective.
1. Talking in the Rain

Sakura was sitting on a bench. The sky reflected her feelings, and she could no longer take it. She hunched over and covered her face in her hands. "Why?" she asked, her voice soft and cracking. "Why wasn't I good enough?" Her body shook, and she felt hot tears release into her hands. She clenched her eyelids tight, imagining that'd make the pain go away.

"Um," a soft voice said. It was barely auditable over the splashes and pitter patters.

Sakura turned towards the speaker, then glanced away. "Oh. Hi, Hinata," she said. Sakura wouldn't look at her, but now the only water she felt on her cheeks was cold rain.

"M-may I sit here?" Hinata asked.

"Do what you want."

"I-I, I'm sorry."

Sakura tilted her head towards the ground, shutting her eyes. She felt tears coming again, and released a whimper, which she stifled.

"I-I d-don't think there was anything a-anyone could of done. It wasn't y-your fault," Hinata said.

Tears ran down Sakura's cheeks, again. This time, they almost felt good. She looked at Hinata. The Hyuuga's eyes had always seemed cold and creepy to her, and the strange girl's timid nature had amplified those sentiments, but now she noticed a brightness in them. Sakura smiled at Hinata, who blushed, and glanced away. "Thank you, Hinata," Sakura said, wiping her eyes.

"U-um." Hinata swallowed. "Neither of our...our l-l-lo, heart's desire, notices us." The Hyuuga girl turned away, and stiffened, looking forward. "I've never been very direct, though."

"I was too late," Sakura whispered. Then she turned to face the other girl. "Wait, who is it you like?"

"Oh, no!" Hinata covered her face with her hands, and shook her head.

Sakura chuckled. "Who is it, Hinata? Please, tell me?" she asked.

"No, no, no!"

"Please?"

Hinata looked at Sakura. Her cheeks couldn't be more red. "D-don't tell anyone."

"I promise."

"No! I can't!" Hinata turned away.

Sakura sighed, and said, "Fine, if you insist on being like that."

"Ack! N-Naruto!" Hinata said, and covered her face again.

Sakura laughed, and Hinata remained silent. "Wait, you're serious?" she asked.

"Y-yes!" Hinata said, looking at Sakura. "He's really nice!"

"He is?" Sakura asked, and raised a finger to her chin.

"Yes!"

"Huh, I guess he kinda is. It'll be our secret, then." Sakura smiled.

Hinata looked at her for a while, then smiled back.


	2. The Gate

Sakura was at the gates of the village, looking out over trees at the horizon. "Sakura" she heard the voice of Hinata say.

Sakura glanced at Hinata. "Hi," she whispered. Her lips trembled into a small smile. "I saw Naruto off. He's very determined to bring Sasuke back. He promised me he would."

"That's good to hear," Hinata said. The warmth and compassion on her face was about the only real comfort Sakura had known for the past dozen or so hours. She knew Naruto meant well, but his words couldn't rid her of uncertainty. Orochimaru was a powerful enemy, and Sasuke had a strong lead on the group that went after him.

"But you already knew he'd do that, huh?" Sakura asked.

"Yes! That's just the type of person Naruto is," Hinata said. Her face grew a little red. Sakura could smile at that, but it quickly faded.

"I heard about what that cousin of yours did to you. Are you healing up okay?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"I can't image why family would want to do something like that."

"He's a servant to my family first, and a cousin second," Hinata said. "The Hyuuga are steeped in tradition to protect the Byakugan. We are very important to the village, and our individual desires don't really matter much."

Sakura stared at her friend as she spoke. What a tragic existence, she thought, but felt it was best not to question any further. "I can't believe what Sasuke's brother did," she said. " I suppose it isn't all that hard to understand why he left. I had just thought we were his friends. Me, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei. I guess we don't really matter much to him."

"I'm sure that's not true, Sakura. He probably just feels it is his mission, his duty, to stop his brother."

"But what does it matter, Hinata? If he joins Orochimaru, he'll be a criminal. How's that any different than telling us he hates us? Orochimaru, he attacked the village! He's our enemy, and now, the village will see Sasuke as an enemy, too."

"Only if Naruto doesn't bring him back. He will, Sakura. Have faith."

"And if he _doesn't_?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, Sakura. I-I'm sorry. I don't."

Sakura sighed. "It's not your fault. _I'm_ sorry. You're a good person, Hinata."

"T-thank you." Hinata's face grew red. "You should really get some rest, Sakura. I'll make sure to get you any news as soon as possible."

"I'll try. Thanks, Hinata."


	3. Burning Shadows

Hinata knocked on the door in front of her. It opened a little. "Oh," she said to herself, peering inside. She couldn't see anyone, and questioned whether or not it would be okay to enter. The sound of crying made the decision for her. "Byakugan!" The power of those eyes allowed her to see that a single person was laying in a bed, off in a different room. Hinata walked to the room, noting the modesty of the home. "S-Sakura?" she asked. There was no response but the sound of tears, so the girl opened the door.

Sakura was laying on her stomach with her face buried in her pillow and arms. The sheets were a crumpled mess and the comforter was thrown to the floor. A picture frame was tossed near her head.

"S-Sakura?" Hinata asked, closing the door behind her. Sakura whimpered and sniffed into the pillow. Hinata moved closer, stopping a few feet from the bed. "Sakura?" she said again. Her voice was more timid than she wanted it to be.

"Hinata? Is that you?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, it's me."

Sakura slowly turned over, and sat herself up. Her face was soggy with tears, and her eyes bloodshot. She looked ashamed, and glanced down as she brought her knees to her chest. "You can sit down," Sakura said between sniffles. Hinata glanced around, then sat on the floor, under her knees. Sakura let out one depressed laugh. "I meant on the bed."

"Haha, yes, of course." Hinata did so, sitting on the edge with her legs dangling off the side. She had never sat on a bed before. Strange how neighbors can be so culturally different, she thought. She twisted her torso so she could look at Sakura, and asked, "do you want to talk?" Sakura stared down at the bed for a while, then nodded slowly.

"I'm not sure what there is to say," she said. "Maybe Sasuke isn't who I thought he was."

"Who did you think he was?" Hinata asked.

Sakura stayed silent for awhile.

"I-I...I guess I don't know. I knew there was something dark about him ever since Kakashi-sensei had us introduce ourselves, but I guess I didn't want to believe it. Then I saw it for myself, but...but he protected me. And Naruto. And it wasn't the first time he did, either. It could have been different. It should have been different," she said. Tears started running down her face again. She tried to hide them from Hinata.

"I..." Hinata couldn't find the words, so she just moved herself closer to Sakura, and clumsily wrapped her arms around her. Sakura wailed.

"Hinata," Sakura cried, lifting her head to look at the other girl, and moving herself closer to Hinata.

Hinata hugged her. She wanted to say it'd be okay, but the last time she did, it didn't come true.

"He...he wasn't even important enough," Sakura said. "I feel like this v-village," she sniffed, and cried, "is a dark place. It's all just shadows, looming around me."

Hinata stroked the back of Sakura's head.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Sakura asked.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I don't know."


	4. A Chance Visit

Sakura turned the door nob to the hospital. She took a yellow flower out of the vase and replaced it in a different position. Would Naruto like them, or care? It didn't matter. It was about all she could do for him, and despite what boys may say, they still felt their power. The colors, the scents, the fleeting notion of life. A notion she lately found sad that made her once again think, _please, life is too short._

Down the hall Sakura noticed a familiar face. She had to wonder why Hinata was at the hospital. Was it a check-up? Had she actually managed to muster up some courage to visit her crush? "Hi, Hinata. How are you?" she asked.

"Hi, Sakura. I'm fine," Hinata said in her usual quiet voice.

Sakura felt that someone like Hinata would be acting differently if they had just confessed their love. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was...I was just," Hinata began. Maybe she had, after all. "I-I," she put a balled up hand to her mouth and glanced away. "I was visiting my cousin."

"Your cousin? That jerk?" Sakura said.

"Y-yeah. We actually used to be pretty close. I want to repair things with him," Hinata said. Her eyes glanced at Sakura, then away again as she blushed. "I'm not...I'm not actually a very good Hyuuga. Everyone says my sister should be the heir."

"Hinata?" Sakura asked, taken aback by the other girl's apparent self-loathing. "I don't really understand what you're getting at."

"I..." Hinata looked down. After a moment of silence, she lifted her head. "I don't think I can do much, but I want things to change." Her face was still red as she glanced up at Sakura. "I think, if no one expects more of me, why shouldn't I openly try to bring our branches closer? It's not Neji's fault that he is where he is, nor is it by my own merit that I am heir of the Hyuuga."

Sakura took a moment to think, then said, "I think I understand," and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Again, you don't even think of yourself." She could just force herself to be as her clan would accept, and allow herself to become one of the most important people in Konoha. Sakura wasn't sure if it was Hinata's choice that she didn't, or if it were a flaw in her nature, but whatever the case, maybe she was better for it. Was Sasuke the same? Was his revenge truly for his clan, or was it for himself? "Hinata, I was going to go see Naruto. You should come with me."

"W-what?!" Hinata raised her voice to a more normal volume. Her whole face was red, and she shook her head "no." "I can't! I can't do that!" she said, looking Sakura in the eyes, her own twitching as she tried her hardest to keep eye contact. Sakura grabbed her by the wrist.

"C'mon! It'll be fine. This will be good. If you don't get closer to Naruto, who knows, maybe I will!" Sakura said, walking towards the hall with Hinata in tow.

"Y-you...?" Hinata began, then paused a moment. "I-if that'd make Naruto happy, that'd be okay..."

"Jeesh, Hinata, you really need to gain some confidence and ambition! You'll never win him over this way!" _Not that she should have to, the blind idiot_ , Sakura thought.

Sakura opened the door to Naruto's hospital room, letting herself in. He was laying in bed, looking out the window with a gloomy look on his face. When he noticed Sakura he tried to turn away more. "Naruto," Sakura said. "How are you?" Hinata stayed in the shadows of the doorway, watching.

"I'll be fine, Sakura," Naruto replied. Sakura walked closer to Naruto and placed the flowers on a small table. "Thanks, Sakura..."

"Naruto..." she said, remembering how he had promised to bring Sasuke back, and failing to do so, but he had meant it. Hinata had believed in him, too, and Hinata was confident that Naruto was a good person. "Naruto, it's not your fault," she said.

"It is, Sakura," Naruto said, laying there, looking out the window, refusing to look Sakura in the eyes. "I wasn't smart enough, or a good enough friend to say what he needed to hear, and I wasn't strong enough to stop him. I promised you...and I broke my code."

"It's not your fault!" Hinata nearly shouted, moving past the doorway. "I'm sure you did all you possible could! It was his choice!" Sakura and Naruto turned to her, both with some form of shock playing on their face.

"H-Hinata," Sakura said with a smile. Naruto just looked on in amazement for a moment, but then he glanced back out the window.

"What would you know, Hinata?" Naruto asked. "Do you even have any friends?"

Hianta looked away.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," he muttered. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Now, just leave me alone for awhile...I need to think."

"Fine, Naruto," Sakura said. She understood what he was going through, and didn't really blame him, but the moment was pissing her off. "Let's go, Hinata."


	5. Blossom Seeds

"That Naruto! I can't believe him!" Sakura said, guiding Hinata by one hand, and pushing the hospital front door open with the other.

"It's okay, Sakura. I know that's not really how he is," Hinata said.

"It's no excuse! You were only being nice to him!" Sakura said. Her voice was angry, but there was also something else in it.

"Um, S-Sakura," Hinata said, staring at the pink hair that covered the back of her new friend's head. The color calmed her, despite it coming from such an angry place.

"He always fought with Sasuke, now he acts like they were always friends. This is how he probably-"

"Sakura!" Hinata raised her voice. "You acted similarly to me when Sasuke first left!"

Sakura stopped. She let go of Hianta's hand. "I'm sorry, Hinata," she said, glancing at the girl behind her. Hinata thought she saw tears, but she'd never know. Sakura turned away, then ran off, leaving Hinata to watch her friend's back as she became smaller, and smaller.

Days without seeing Sakura passed. Then Hinata was called to the front door by her father. "And just who is this?" he asked.

"S-Sakura, father. I told you about her," Hinata said, glancing away from both her father and Sakura. She had been dreading this day for awhile. Everything got in the way of her becoming the heir he wanted.

"I see. The commoner from that undistinguished clan," he said.

"Father!" Hinata turned quickly, looking up at him. "Father, please!"

"That look of desperation is beneath us," he said. His tone demanded she make the words true.

"I'll just leave. I can see I'm not welcome," Sakura said, turning to walk away.

"No!" Hinata pleaded.

"It's nothing personal, child," her father said. "Hinata has training to do. Even if she decides not to inherit the clan's responsibilities, I won't have her misrepresenting us."

Hianta ran past her father and to Sakura's side. She heard the door slam behind her. "I'm so sorry, Sakura," she said.

"It's okay, I understand. I'm not good enough," Sakura said, staring Hinata in the eyes. "I'll just get in your way."

"No! Sakura, you're wrong," Hinata said.

"And how is that so?" Sakura asked.

"In my father's eyes, no one is good enough for a Hyuuga." Hinata inched closer to Sakura. "But you're my friend, no matter what he thinks!" Hianta shouted with all her heart, maybe in hopes that her father would hear. Then she blushed and covered her mouth, turning away. Soon after, Hinata felt the warmth of Sakura's hands over the hand she had lifted, then Sakura pulled it towards her. Hinata turned to see Sakura smiling.

"Thanks, Hinata," Sakura said. "The truth is, I just realized I didn't really have any friends, either. I think that's why Sasuke was so important to me." She gave off a sad laugh, one that said she knew how pathetic she sounded. "I guess I thought it must of been fate that we ended up together. I bet Naruto realized the same thing once Sasuke left."

"S-Sakura," Hinata said. Something about the honesty in the other girl's voice moved her. As her heartbeat picked up, she noticed how nice Sakura's scent was, and a feeling of bliss swept over her, like nothing she had felt before. Then, the girl who stood just a couple feet from her felt so distant it hurt.


	6. Blood and Water

"So, you have decided to indulge your responsibilities after all," her father said, narrowing his eyes. Hinata saw her sister. "Get changed," her father said, then turned to Hanabi. "Her injuries are healed. There is no need to go easy on her," he told her.

"Yes, father," Hanabi said. The small girl tightened her belt, a habit of hers, then started stretching.

"N-no," Hinata said.

"Excuse me, Hinata? Did you show up just to insult me?" her father asked. Hinata looked up into her father's eyes, and bit her lip. She clenched onto the front of her sweatshirt, tugging down on it. The fabric felt soft between her thumb and fingers.

"I-I...I want to spar with you, father."

Her father looked at her for a good while, and Hinata was just about to tell him to forget what she had said when he gave her a small smile. "Score a clean point on Hanabi," he told her. Part of Hinata didn't like that her value was tied so closely to strength, but she couldn't help but smile back.

After changing, Hinata and Hanabi readied themselves, bowed to one another, then got into stance. Hanabi rushed forward. _Is she not taking me seriously?_ Hinata thought, sidestepping and gently pushing Hanabi aside by her forearm. Hanabi turned and tried to strike out again. Hinata leapt back. _Or is she trying to impress father?_ Before her feet could touch the ground, Hanabi was in front of her. She swept Hinata's legs as she landed, then was over her with a fist to her face. Hinata stayed on her back and glanced at her father. His expression was the same frown he usually held. If he had hoped better of her, this outcome didn't surprise him, nor did it seem to matter to him.

Hianta got up and readied herself. Hanabi attacked headlong again. This time, Hinata knew her sister was seeping with confidence. _Why? Why is she so much better than me?_ Hinata's thoughts wondered to Naruto's words: never give up, you can do it. A sudden surge of strength took her, but then she remembered, "do you even have any friends?" _What does that matter now?_ She was struck by Hanabi again. Hinata wiped her mouth and looked at the blood.

"Take a break, Hinata," her father said. "You're thinking too much. You'll never hit Hanabi like that."

Hinata turned away. _He's wrong. I can't..._ "If you'll excuse me," she said, bowing to Hanabi.

Hinata walked, nearly jogging, to the bathroom. She turned on the sink, but her mirror caught her attention. She watched as blood flowed down her chin. Drops started to fall into the basin. They ran down the marble, mixing with splashes of water, and turned pink. _Sakura_ , Hinata thought, taking in a breath. A pink drop slid towards the drain. Her chest tightened. _Why?_

After cleaning up a bit, Hinata returned to the sparing area. Hanabi was already there, ready. The two went a few more rounds, but Hinata just did more poorly with each one.


	7. Talking at the Rain

Sakura was leaning on a windowsill, looking out into the congested houses of the town. Rain trickled down the near transparent material as her eyes darted to a child running into a home. How she hated the rain. All it did was remind her of that day. Yet, still, she couldn't look away. Everytime a drop would start, she'd follow it, wishing it'd end up somewhere else, but they always trailed to the bottom. Sometimes they'd stop for a while, but then another would eventually hit it, and push it along. _Sasuke, why do I feel this way for you? I don't even know you...and I now know I never did,_ Sakura thought, remembering something her mother once told her of love: "you never forget your first love, but it's always puppy love." Back then, Sakura had laughed it off. What did her mother know? She hadn't known Sasuke, that wonderful creature. But now, she wasn't so sure. She doubted her mother ever faced such a situation, but in the end, maybe it all meant the same thing: you just weren't meant to be. Sakura didn't want to believe it, but for a moment she did.

But the moment was fleeting, and all she wanted was Sasuke back. It was foolish, she knew, and part of her actually hated him. How could he abandon Konoha? How could he abandon her? Sooner or later she knew she'd have to face the facts, but for now, she loved tormenting bliss. The very stupidity that held her together also tore her apart. "Sasuke, come back, now, and I'll forgive you," she muttered as she sank atop her hands, still peering outside. The rain picked up, punching against the glass, but she had grown numb to it. All she saw was the now settling darkness.

 _Hinata, that fool_ , Sakura thought, though she hated thinking ill of the girl. _You thought Naruto was so great, but here I am, longing for Sasuke, who was just so much better. Sasuke..._ But what had made him so much better? Sakura gasped, fogging up a portion of the window, then sank her head back down. That was a stupid response. Of course Sasuke was perfect. But he...wasn't. In fact, Sakura even started to think that maybe Naruto was better. Hinata had said he was nice, and despite his recent outburst, she had to wonder how Sasuke would of responded if the rolls were reversed. The truth hurt her so much she physically shook her head.

"Hinata, how could you fall for him? He's such a fool. Such an idiot, just..." Yet, he was still there, for you. Despite failing in his promise, he still made one, and tried his hardest to keep it. "Hinata, don't hate me if I fall in love with him," she joked to herself, remembering Naruto's face. Nothing about it appealed to her. Despite her being convinced that he was a good man, she felt no attraction to him.

Sakura didn't know why, but she really wanted to talk to Hinata about boys, so she lifted herself up and headed to the door. At the knob she loosely rested her hand over it. _Does it matter? I can just stop now, and in the morning, everything will be normal. What a stupid lie._

Every step through the rain brought a strange hesitation, but she refused to turn back. Hinata's father would probably act similarly to her as he did the last time. But she was determined. Of what, she wasn't so sure, but something told her she had to continue. It wasn't right the way he looked down upon her, but what could she change? Still, for some reason, she couldn't give up. Before she knew it, a door was opened, and to her great relief, there was Hinata.

"Hinata," Sakura said, way softer than she wanted. She gulped, and tried to regain her composer.

"Sakura?" Hinata asked. Her face looked a little red. "What are you doing here?"

"I just," Sakura began, thinking of Sasuke, and Naruto, and how the both disappointed her so much. "I just...wanted to talk."

Hinata smiled, and said, "come in."

"Are you _sure_ it's okay?" Sakura asked.

Hinata frowned. "It's okay. My father isn't a monster or anything. He's just strict," she said, then smiled, "but I'm already done with my duties today."

Sakura thought Hinata seemed way to pleased to announce that development, but said nothing of it as she let Hinata lead her through the simple, yet elegant house. The wood of each screen was so elaborately decorated, and just a couple rooms in and the house was bigger than her home. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "You grew up here?" she asked.

"I can't remember a day where I didn't see these walls," Hinata said.

Soon they arrived at Hinata's room. "I'm...I'm really glad you're here," Hinata said. There was a sadness in her eyes.

"Thank you, Hinata. I'm glad you'd have me," Sakura said, trying to replicate the level of curtesy.

Hinata kneeled on the ground and asked, "is there anything specific that brought you here?" The innocence in her voice, and the sublime bliss of her face almost made Sakura forget why, indeed.

"I just," Sakura began. "I just wanted to talk," she said, all of a sudden thinking her boy troubles were foolish.

"I'm happy to talk, Sakura," Hinata responded, her face for some reason red.

Sakura couldn't think of a good excuse out of any of this, so she just brought up boys anyhow. "What made you first interested in Naruto?"

"Naruto?" Hinata repeated. Her eyes then rolled up a little. "Well, he just, he encouraged me. He encouraged me to be a better me."

"And that's all it took?" Sakura nearly snapped, disappointed in the answer.

"Well, why do you like Sasuke?" Hinata asked.

Sakura thought for a short while. "He's...he's smart, and...and..." _He's really good looking_ , she thought, but somehow that felt really shallow at the moment.

Hinata said nothing for a while. She just sat there, and Sakura's leg began to itch. Her gaze was so...haunting, yet... but then Hinata said, "you felt that way before you even knew him, right?"

Sakura couldn't deny the truth, and nodded, slowly.

"And you know he's never been who you thought he was, right?" Hinata said. Sakura looked away. "I'm...I'm sorry, but..." Hinata stammered.

"No," Sakura said, "I came to you," she admitted. "I must look so pathetic."

"N-no!" Hinata said. "Don't feel that way, Sakura. We all go through such things. It's part of being human."

"And are all humans so foolish?" Sakura asked.

"Even more so! I mean, it's only normal to feel...to feel what you do," Hinata said. A balled up hand raced towards her mouth as she glanced away. Sakura smiled.

"You really love Naruto, huh?" Sakura asked.

"N-Narato?" Hinata asked, then added, "y-yes. I mean. I like him."

Sakura could smile at that.


	8. What's Wrong With Definitions

Hinata slid a door open revealing a closet. She pushed aside various clothes while thinking _no, no, no_ at the sweatshirts, t-shirts, and bathrobes, which were by far comparatively the best quality garments. _Why do I care so much?_ she thought, and pushed aside more, and more. Finally, all the way in the back she found some kimonos. _Oh, am I going to be over dressed?_ Her hand stopped over a simple dark purple silk kimono. It was so soft she just had to bring it up to her face. _What does it matter? This is what I want. And it's not all too much, right?_

As she was making her way towards the front door, her father stopped her. Hinata thought for a moment that she saw a confused expression cross his face. "Hi, father," she said.

"Hinata." Her father eyed her for such a time that it made her feel like running out the door. Finally, he asked, "you are just having lunch with Sakura, right?"

"Yes, father," Hinata said. _That's the first time he's called her by name._

"I see." He made a strange face, then asked, "you _really_ like her, don't you?" The tone in his voice and his expression weren't of disappointment, but something about the way he said it made her feel awkward. However, she had no time to process why, and said, "I do."

"Hinata, you know I love you very much," her father said.

"F-father? Of course, and I love you."

"Hinata, it's not that I don't want you to have _friends_ , but I fear that you will neglect your training."

"I-I...I think that I train enough."

" _Enough_?" he asked. "If you think that Hanabi is better than you based on natural talent alone, you are mistaken. She trains everyday, going beyond what is asked of her."

Hinata glanced away. "I'm sorry."

Her father was silent for a while, then said, "I heard you've been visiting your cousin, Neji."

The change of topic was shocking but welcomed. She knew he cared about her cousin, but she couldn't remember the last time he expressed it. Hearing it made her feel more kindly towards him. After a moment, she looked back at her father. "I have."

"And how is he?"

"He'll make a full recovery."

"That's good to hear," he said. "I have a meeting today, so if you're back before I am, or if there is any trouble, you know what to do."

"Yes, father."

After a moment, her father nodded, and she turned to open the door, but before she could, he said, "oh, and Hinata, think seriously about what you want for yourself."

"I will, father." Hinata opened the door.

"And take care of your mother's kimono."

"I will," she promised.

Outside, she began to walk, thinking about the oddities in the conversation. Her father had never asked so much about her personal life before. Was that the only reason why it all felt so strange? _Oh well,_ she thought. _At least he seems to be warming up to Sakura. Sakura..._ A chill shuttered against Hinata's spine, and she stopped walking. Her chest became so warm that she feared her heart would burst. A strange sensation of haziness and clarity overtook her mind. It was like there was nothing left in the world to know, because there was only one thing worth knowing. _I...I like Sakura. I like Sakura._ It was the most serene happiness she had ever felt, like finding a lost treasure you didn't know existed, or could exist. Then her heart sank as reality sunk in. _Oh, no! I like Sakura! How can that be? I'm a girl. I have to go back home. I can't see her right now. Maybe never again._ Then she wanted to cry. _If I turn back now, will it only get harder? Maybe this is all just a misunderstanding. If I see her, maybe I'll realize I was just acting silly because of Father. But if I'm not...no! I have to be strong. Naruto told me to believe in myself. Sakura...Sakura said I needed to be more ambitious. Now, Father said...no. Does he know? No, that can't be. But he_ _is my father._

Whether or not she would have decided to go didn't matter. At some point she had started walking again, and before she realized it, she found herself mere yards from Sakura's house.

On the second floor balcony Sakura was leaning over a railing. "Hinata! Hi!" she greeted, waving. "I'll be right down!"

 _Turn back. It's your last chance,_ Hinata thought, but her nature forced her forward. Each step felt like moving concrete, and once she made it to the stairs, it only became worse. _Sakura,_ she thought, wondering how all of it would go, but her thoughts were cut short as she felt a tug, and heard a tear. Hinata turned to see her bow caught and torn on a nail poking out of the railing. Before she could worry too much about it, the front door opened.

"Hey, Hinata, what's...going on?" Sakura asked. She was wearing a simple yellow dress. "Is something wrong?"

"It got caught on a nail," Hinata said, and showed Sakura the torn wrap she held in one hand as she tried to hold the kimono together with the other.

"Oh, damn it, Hinata, I'm really sorry. Come in, and I'll get you a replacement."

In her room, Sakura was going through her closet. Hinata watched, her heart beating and refusing to let up. She felt drawn to Sakura and could no longer deny she had a crush on her. _What am I going to do?_ she thought. _This feels so nice, yet I want to cry._

"Oh! This one will work," Sakura said and walked to Hinata. She held out a lavender wrap. "Here."

"Th-thank you, Sakura." Hinata fixed up her garments and tied the wrap around her waist. "It's really nice."

"I'm glad you think so. You can keep it."

"N-no! I couldn't possibly!"

"Don't worry about it. I barely wear that one. Besides, it'll look prettier on you," Sakura said. Her face turned red, and she glanced away. Hinata felt like her chest would catch on fire. "And, um, it's the least I can do."

"Oh," Hinata said. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

"Well, you see, I was kinda supposed to fix the railing," Sakura said with a nervous laugh. "A few days ago."

Hinata was glad to share a laugh with Sakura. "That's okay, Sakura. Thank you," she said.

"So, shall we get going?" Sakura smiled and watched Hinata for a moment. Hinata nodded.

Once outside, they started walking to the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm going to be training with Lady Tsunade soon. I'm so sick of feeling weak. I can't wait," Sakura said.

"Personally trained by a Hokage? You'll become the strongest ninja in no time," Hinata said.

"Thanks, but I doubt that!"

Hinata couldn't stop glancing at Sakura, and every time she did a small voice in her head would say, _I love you_. It didn't help that her body continuously wanted to bump into the other girl. Hinata thought it was foolish to think what she was feeling was love, but she couldn't control that little voice.

"Oh, that reminds me. Naruto wanted me to apologize for him again. And he's sorry he can't say it in person. He's off training himself," Sakura said.

"Naruto? I said it was alright. We're all allowed to say mean things from time to time."

"That coming from you. I doubt you've ever said a negative thing about anything." Sakura laughed. Hinata could feel her cheeks getting red. "Oh, c'mon, I'm only teasing," Sakura said, and started walking again.

Still, Hinata couldn't bring herself to say anything. She just kept stealing glances as she walked beside Sakura. _I'm liking you more, and more_ , she thought.

"Um, Sakura?" she finally asked, cheeks still burning.

"Yeah?"

"I don't very much like most seafood!" Hinata said. She clamped a hand over her mouth.

Sakura laughed. "You know very well that's not what I meant."

"I-I guess I do." Hinata glanced away.

"Hinata, your kindness is your best quality. Of course you don't like all things, you just don't say it, right? It's only when you pretend to like things you don't that it becomes weird," Sakura said.

 _I love you,_ Hinata thought. _I love you,_ she thought, again, and again. Holding her breath was the only thing that kept the words in. "B-but we are going out to eat, so - "

"Speaking of which, here we are," Sakura cut in. She tended to do that from time to time, but it didn't bother Hinata.

The two took a booth at the restaurant. Shortly, a waitress came by. "Hi, I'll be serving you today. Is there anything I can start you with?" she asked.

"Do you know what you want?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded. After a moment, Sakura said, "well?"

"O-oh. I'll have zenzai and green tea, please."

"And I'll have pork dumplings, umeboshi, and water," Sakura said.

"Alright, I'll be back in a couple minutes with your drinks," the waitress said, then left.

A wry smile formed on Sakura's lips. "So, you going to miss Naruto? Will you wait for him to come back?" she asked.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata questioned. _I guess I will miss him. I hope he'll come back strong. No, he already is. He'll come back stronger_ , she thought. "Yeah, I will," she said. "But what about you? You're going to be alone now."

"What are you talking about? I have you," Sakura said, smiling. "Boys don't really get it anyhow, right?"

"Yes, Sakura. I may not be your teammate, but I'll always be your friend."

"Always," Sakura said monotonously. She glanced away.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"It's just, I-" Sakura began. She frowned as the waitress interrupted with their drinks.

"Thank you," Hinata said to the waitress, who told her "you're welcome," then left.

"I mean, of course I miss Sasuke, and I'll miss Naruto, too, but what can I do about it? I should just move on for now, and if they come back, I'll figure it out then," Sakura said.

"I don't think you need to move on. You can just make yourself stronger for when they need you."

Sakura smiled. "You're right, Hinata," she said. "I've just been feeling like...I dunno, like I'm not even a ninja anymore. I mean, I don't even have a team now."

"Being a ninja is about protecting your home, and your loved ones," Hinata said.

"I thought you lived by Naruto's code of 'never give up'?"

"I do, but that's more of a personal moral. It's less about being a ninja and more about who you are as a person. It just happens that they coincide."

"I don't know, Hinata. I think that there are times where they may be conflicting. Like, never giving up might get someone you care about hurt."

Hinata knew that what Sakura was saying was true, but she wanted to believe there had to be a right answer for every problem, and one that would satisfy both conditions. Luckily, she didn't have to ponder the notion further, because the waitress arrived with their food.

After taking a few bites, Sakura asked, "so, you're really good at taijutsu, right?"

"N-not really."

"Oh, don't be modest. The Hyuuga are famed for their taijutsu."

"Yes, we are, but I'm not really anything special," Hinata said. She stuffed some food in her mouth and sipped on tea in hopes of avoiding further talking.

"Why don't I be the judge of that?" Sakura asked.

"You want to see me fight?"

"No, no. It's just, like I was saying, I'm so sick of being weak. If I learn from Lady Tsunade, and you, I figure I'll become very strong."

"You...you want me to train you?" Hinata asked. Sakura nodded. _How can I train her_ , Hinata thought. _I can't even land a hit on Hanabi. I'd probably just make her worse._ "The Gentle Fist isn't something one without the Byakugan can master. It won't be all that useful to you, I'm afraid."

"I know, but I've been researching medical ninjutsu and different applications. I might not be able to learn how to shut down chakra nodes, but the defensive nature of the Gentle Fist, coupled with my training from Lady Tsunade, should still prove beneficial," Sakura said.

 _So, she's done her homework. I guess that means she's determined,_ Hinata thought. "Alright, I'll teach you."

Sakura's face lit up. "Thank you so much!" she said. "When do you think would be a good time?"

 _Oh, no. Do I tell her the truth? But, am I ready? Does it matter if I am? Will I ever be?_ Hinata couldn't figure out an answer, so she said, "actually, today would be good."

"Really?!" Sakura dropped a dumpling on her plate and leaned forward, smiling.

"Y-yes. We can go to my father's dojo."

Sakura's smile faded. "Are you sure that's okay? Even on such short notice?"

"Yes. Besides, my father shouldn't be home until around supper."

Sakura stopped talking and began munching down food. _She really wants to do this,_ Hinata thought, noting how Sakura beamed. She couldn't help but watch, and every time she did, her heart raced. She wondered if she was weird for thinking it was a pretty sight, and glanced away. Similar thoughts and reactions happened again, and again. Hinata found herself trapped between intense feelings of passion, and the strange dishonesty of looking away. _And i_ _sn't it weird_ not _to look at the person you're with?_

After they ate, they began their walk to the dojo. Sakura smiled the whole while, and Hinata couldn't help but wonder what really motivated her. Did she want to get stronger for herself, for others, or just to keep her mind off the others?

"Come," Hinata said, leading Sakura to the changing room. It wasn't until she opened the door that she realized what was about to happen. _Am I going to see Sakura half-naked?_ she thought, and her face burned. Then she realized that meant the opposite would be true, too, and she nearly turned for the door.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked.

Hinata had stopped dead for no discernable reason. Of course Sakura thought that was strange. "S-sorry. I'll just go get the gi," she said, and went to a cabinet, away from Sakura. The relief was brief, but it calmed her a little. Without a word, she handed Sakura the gi.

"Thanks," Sakura said, and began to take her dress off.

Thinking it'd be weird if she didn't, Hinata disrobed. She'd disrobed in front of other girls before, but this was different. Any ounce of hope that it'd feel normal dissapeared as soon as the air hit her skin. Hinata was making every effort not to glance at Sakura, and she was fairly certain Sakura wouldn't be looking her way, but still, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Even worse, she couldn't help but take a peak. Hinata didn't know what she had expected. Sakura had a body like every other girl her age who had only just started to develop. In fact, she was probably slower than most. But none of that seemed to matter. Everything about her just looked beautiful to Hinata.

When they were changed, relief washed over Hinata. Yet, she wanted to see Sakura again. _What do I do? How am I going to be able to make physical contact with her like this? She's going to think I'm weird_ , Hinata thought.

Sakura walked up to Hinata. "So," she sighed, and took in a deep breath. "Ready?"

 _She's nervous?_ Hinata thought, walking out with Sakura to the sparring room.

With some hesitation, Hinata said, "um, so, as always with physical exercise, you're going to want to start with stretches."

That part was easy enough, and accidently stealing glances of Sakura didn't feel quite so wrong or awkward in that situation. It was bound to happen when switching exercises, anyways. She wished the stretches could go on forever.

"I'm no expert, but I think I'm ready," Sakura said, turning her head. "Ugh, these splits are starting to make me sore."

"Okay, first I'm going to teach you the stance I use," Hinata said, and Sakura nodded. Hinata spread her legs apart in such a way that a large portion of the side of her body was facing forward. "With the defense used in the Gentle Fist, and other martial arts like it, you want to reduce your surface area," she explained, while placing one arm forward, but not completely outstretched, and the other out by her side. "You want some flexibility in your posture, and don't want to tense the muscles, but don't keep them loose, either."

"Like this?" Sakura asked.

"Y-you mimicked my arms, but the posture is far more important, especially in the legs. If you don't distribute your weight properly, you can easily be thrown off balance."

"You really know your stuff, Hinata. And you seem pretty comfortable teaching it," Sakura said. "Confident, even."

"Th-thank you."

Sakura chuckled. "And now your face is all red," she said. Hinata glanced away. "This good?" Sakura asked after repositioning herself.

"Yes," Hinata said. "Th-that's good enough for now. I'll demonstrate some basic counters, and by doing so you should see how to correct the rest yourself."

Hinata took up her stance again and nodded at Sakura. Sakura hesitated, then stepped forward. _No wonder she was nervous. I don't think she's had any real combat training at all_ , Hinata thought, and inched forward, trying to get Sakura to react.

Sakura swallowed. She dashed forward with a fist raised and tried to swing at Hinata. Hinata sidestepped the attack. "Don't run," she said. "It'd be too easy for me to knock you off balance. You want to maintain your stance as best you can and only break it at the last possible moment."

"Alright," Sakura said, and tried to ready herself.

"Don't be so hasty. Your form is worse than before. Relax."

"It's harder than I thought it would be. I can imagine ways to try and hit you, but I don't think any of it will work," Sakura said. Her face looked doubtful.

"That's alright, Sakura. You probably won't be able to for a while. Right now, you just want to practice applying and keeping form. Okay?" Hinata said, and smiled at Sakura.

Sakura nodded, and smiled. "Right," she said. The determination that overtook Sakura's eyes made Hinata smile more. She hated that she might bring them disappointment.

The two continued to spar for a while. Every now and then, Sakura would get a burst of strength and make Hinata have to work, but Hinata figured that was mostly adrenaline coupled with herself being a little too at ease.

"You're returning to form better now, but sometimes you're breaking it too early," Hinata said. Sakura's face was red from desperation and exertion. "You're going to wear yourself out. We should take a break."

"Oh, all right," Sakura said, catching her breath. Hinata thought she was feigning disappointment. "Well, I feel gross. Can I bathe somewhere?"

"B-bathe?" Hinata asked. She hoped she had looked just as worn as Sakura. "Uh-um, we can use th-the hot spring."

"Damn, Hinata, you have your own hot spring?" Sakura asked. "Lucky!"

"Lucky? Y-yeah," Hinata said. She hoped she didn't sound as sassy as she thought. She sighed and began to walk. "Th-this way."

 _Oh, what am I going to do? Should I lie and say I don't need to bathe? That just sounds so unnatural. I guess I'll just have to try,_ she thought as she came to the changing room outside the spring. Hinata grabbed towels for the two of them, taking her sweet time, for dear life.

Wallowing to herself, Hinata moved like a ghost, and before she knew it, she was dipping a foot into the hot water. Hinata's heart raced as she heard the water move out of the way so Sakura could take her place right near her. All she could do was stare into the water and wish time would fly by. _Oh no, it's not working. It's just worse now,_ she thought.

"Ah, that's really nice," Sakura said.

Hinata couldn't help but see Sakura sinking into the water out of the corner of her eye. She was so close Hinata could smell her hair. She tried her hardest not to glance at Sakura, but it was futile. She wanted to get even closer and touch her. "Y-yeah," she said, trying to ignore the thoughts of pressing against her, wrapping an arm around hers, and laying her head on her shoulder.

"Hinata? Is something wrong?" Sakura asked. She moved her face closer to Hinata's. Hinata forced her eyes down, but she couldn't ignore the beauty.

 _I want to kiss you_ , Hinata thought. _I want to kiss you so badly it_ _hurts._ She felt her eyes beginning to swell. _I can't do this. I can't._

Hinata stood herself up without thinking. She quickly grabbed a towel and covered herself, then started stepping out of the water.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked.

"I-I'm sorry, I have to go do something." Hinata quickly began to move. Her foot slipped on some water, but she caught herself. However, she let go of her towel in the process. She felt tears running down her cheeks as she grabbed the towel and tried to walk away as fast as possible. When she was nearly at the door, she heard the splash of water. _Don't look back. Don't look back._

Once she was inside, she ran towards her room. Her heart raced, and she felt tears running all the way down her chin. Every step she took felt like she'd trip over herself. Finally, she got into her room. She leaned back against the door and let herself cry.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" Sakura asked from the other side.

 _Go away, please. Please, just go away_ , Hinata thought, but a different thought also ate away at her.

"Hinata? Can I come in?" Sakura asked.

Hinata stayed silent as she looked at the mat underneath her feet. She just wanted to stay silent, forever. "J-just give me a moment, p-please," she said.

"Okay," Sakura said. There was a brief moment of silence, then, "hey, Hinata? Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no," Hinata said. She doubted her words reached Sakura.

Holding back tears, Hinata stumbled towards her dresser. She hastily wiped herself off with the towel, then grabbed the first clothes she found and dressed herself. "Okay," she said.

"Okay? I can come in?"

"Y-yeah," Hinata said. The door opened. Sakura walked forward. Hinata had to stare. She could no longer look away.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" her friend asked. She stepped closer.

"I-I...I can't say." Hinata felt the tears coming again.

"Hinata? We're friends, right? Please tell me what's wrong."

Hinata's breathing calmed a little the more she looked at the girl she loved, but still, she said, "no. Not this."

"Hinata's, that's not fair," Sakura said, taking another step. Her genuinely concerned expression stung Hinata's heart. "What could there possibly be that you can't tell me?"

"Sakura, I...I." Hinata tried to finish her thought with all her might, but the more she did the weaker her legs felt. She stumbled back into her dresser.

"Hinata?"

"I-I...Sakura, I'm in love with you!" Hinata said, then quickly covered her face with her palms and began to cry into them. A cold chill of relief flooded her body.

"Hinata? I don't understand."

"I'm attracted to you," Hinata said between sobs. She uncovered her eyes and stared at Sakura. Sakura stared back, sharing in her disbelief.

"That can't be right. You love Naruto, right?" Sakura asked.

"I-I I thought I did, b-but," Hinata started, then glanced at her futon. "This...this is so different."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"Th-that's okay," Hinata said, wiping her eyes. "Just...you're still my friend, right?"

Sakura smiled, but it soon faded. "Of course I want to be your friend, but I'm not sure that's best now. I mean, for you."

"Yeah," Hinata said. She looked away. "I think I need to be alone."

"You're okay, right?" Sakura asked.

"I feel much better now."

"Okay. Then bye, Hinata."

"Bye, Sakura."

Then she was gone.

Hinata took a deep breath and shambled over to her futon. She got under the covers and stared at the ceiling. What felt like an eternity passed, then she heard a knock on the door.

"Hinata? Are you in there?" her father asked.

"Y-yes, father," she said.

"Why is the floor all wet? I'm coming in."

Hinata didn't respond. All she could do was think about what she was going to tell her father.

"Hinata, I said I'm coming in."

"Y-yes, father." She heard the door open.

"Hinata, what's going on?" he asked. Hinata didn't respond. She heard her father walking towards her. He sat beside her, and she glanced away. "Hinata, my daughter, what's wrong?"

 _He already knows. If he already knows, then everything is fine. I have to just bet on that_ , Hinata thought. She looked up at him. "I-I...I'm not normal, am I?"

"Hinata, why do you say that?" her father asked. Despite his face looking as distant as it usually did, there was a warmth in his tone that she had forgotten. It brought her back to some of her earliest memories.

"I told Sakura that I love her. In love with her."

"Oh. Well, yes, that's not normal," he said. Hinata felt like crying again, but then there was a change in his face. It couldn't have been embarrassment, though. "I mean, it's...it's not normal in the way that we're not normal. There's comparatively few Hyuuga, but there's nothing wrong with us, either."

Hinata felt her lips curve into a small smile. "But I feel so stupid thinking this," she said. "It can't be love, right?"

"Hinata, I don't know if what you're feeling will last, but if you're feeling it, it's real."

"What do I do now?"

"The only thing you can - wait, and see what happens."


	9. No Reason Needed

Sakura's lips appeared pinker than Hinata last remembered. The feeling it brought quickly disappeared, and she wondered if the thought was actually true. Then that thought was gone, and she wasn't sure what she had been thinking about. What she did know was that she was sitting on her bed with Sakura—or was it Sakura's bed?

It didn't matter. The girl she was infatuated with—no, loved—no, that didn't matter, either. Whatever it was called, all that mattered was that she brought a feeling to Hinata's chest. A painful but intoxicating heat choked her heart, made her gulp, and tried to pull her to Sakura. But, it was more than that, too. She didn't want to just touch Sakura. It was like she wanted to share something very special with her. To think she wanted to become one with the other girl seemed weird, but it was something like that.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked. She brushed some pink bangs out of her face, then rested her hands at either side of her and grasped the comforter. Her head was tilted a little down, and her eyes were glancing up at Hinata. Sakura leaned closer to her, but despite every urge, Hinata couldn't budge. Sakura's cheeks grew red, and she barely managed the words, "I said you can kiss me, if you want. I don't mind."

Nothing would have pleased her more, if it were true. Her father was oddly supportive, and she didn't know what she would have done otherwise, but something still felt wrong. She couldn't quite understand what it was, so she rationalized the only way she could. If she kissed Sakura right now, would she never know the touch of a boy? Was that something she wanted? Would that be the worst thing? Was there going back or had she already lost?

Her vision became hazy, or maybe she was only now noticing. A strange, sinking feeling, like her heart was falling out of her upside down, overcame her, and she sat up.

Hinata, for a long while, wasn't sure if the dream had happened or not. It didn't seem to matter, either, until she remembered she hadn't seen Sakura since she confessed days ago. No, it was almost a week now. The realization brought back a numbing sensation that made Hinata want to fall down, but she got up, and got dressed without thinking, almost unaware, and instantly forgetting the process. The thoughts she did have no longer felt like her own. Would she ever see Sakura again? Did she even really want to? If she could ignore it all, life would be easy. That's what she wanted, she thought, as she sat down to eat breakfast with her father and sister.

"What's wrong with you?" Hanabi asked. She had that detached expression and lifted a cup of water to her lips, all the while watching Hinata. Eyes—Hinata had grown more aware of them lately—added a certain pressure to her.

Why was everyone asking her if something was wrong? Kiba had asked, too, and when Hinata had denied it, Shino had pointlessly pointed out that they were teammates. Hinata assured them that if there was a problem she'd take care of it soon.

Hinata glanced away from her sister. "Nothing's wrong," she said.

"Oh? Then you are just getting worst?" Hanabi asked. Those eyes never left Hinata. If they blinked, it was when Hinata had herself or whenever she glanced away.

"M-maybe you are just getting stronger, H-Hanabi."

"I am. Everyday. But I'm not a fool, sister, and I don't think you are, either. You're sloppy."

Hinata wouldn't look her sister in the eyes. There was no place to hide. Yet, others were able to keep secrets from Hinata. Was that why she was so weak? Why she didn't feel like a true Hyuuga?

"Is it because you're gay?"

Hinata felt air fill her lungs so quickly she thought she was going to choke. A chill filled her body, and a desire to leave the world shook her.

"Hanabi!" her father said.

"Father?"

"Drop it. And don't ever speak of it again."

"Yes, father."

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. Her father met them, and she turned away.

"Unless Hinata wants to, that is," he said.

Hinata felt a smile tug at her heart, but she couldn't be certain that it reached the surface. He'd know, though.

"Hinata. Look at me," her father said. She complied. His eyes had that softness in them again. "You need to talk to her, or you may regret it all your life."

Hinata glanced at Hanabi who looked down at her food and continued to eat. She looked back to her father and said, "I'm scared. I-I don't really know what...any of this means. I'm scared she won't accept me."

"It does not have to mean anything, Hinata. For you, this is normal. You might have to be careful outside, and some aspects of your life might be difficult, but there is no reason why it has to personally affect you negatively," her father said. "As for your friend, I, you, or anyone for that matter, cannot know what will happen, but you should not ignore it. You have to decide if you can still be friends or not."

"Friends," Hinata said.

"It is highly unlikely that you will ever be anything more, and you'll probably have to accept that," her father said. Hinata felt her cheeks heat up at the acknowledgment that she wanted something romantic from Sakura, but then the true meaning of her father's words sank in, and she looked down.

"If you'll excuse me," she said. Her father nodded, and she got up.

"Good luck, sis," Hanabi said without lifting her eyes from her plate.

* * *

Hinata knocked on the door. As it started to open, she felt her breathing stop. She took in a breath as she saw it was Sakura's mother.

"Oh, hi Hinata. Come in. Sakura's in her room," she said.

"T-thank you, Haruno-san," Hinata said. She waited a moment after Mebuki stepped aside, then, against every attempt to try and not, she held her breath before entering the house.

The walk through the house was grueling. Hinata had never felt fear like it. That's not to say she had never been deathly afraid, but this feeling was different. Like so many other times she'd been scared, every step made her want to turn back. But there was a large change coming in her life. When she confessed before, it could have just been a fluke, and she wasn't sure she was ready to accept this part of herself. Maybe she didn't have to. Maybe she still liked boys and could just ignore this part of her. She should just do this another day, right? A day after she had figured it out. But could she figure it out on her own? It was the desire to overcome her own weakness and to find some type of truth within herself that pushed her forward.

She stood in front of Sakura's door for a long time, reciting every detail of what she wanted to say—which she had gone over on her walk there. A knock, a door opening, and the site of Sakura's face made every thought vanish. Hinata stared at the girl making her heart race—making her feel like she was choking on air. Sakura stared back. Why wouldn't she say anything? It was unlike her.

"S-Sakura. Ha-hi," Hinata said. She brought a hand to her chest and clenched the cloth over it. Her friend's stare shifted into a small smile.

"Hi, Hinata," Sakura said. Her voice seemed distant compared to what Hinata remembered. She worried if Sakura would have preferred if Hinata never showed her face to her again. "Come in." The words were like a memory Hinata had been chasing.

Hinata stepped forward, the whole while unable to unlock her eyes from Sakura. She didn't initially realize how conflicting, and perhaps strange, that actually was. Why couldn't she look away like she always did? She gulped and stumbled forward. Sakura caught her, and as Hinata felt Sakura's arms around her she felt warm all over. She looked up into Sakura's pretty green eyes, and knew.

"It's okay, Hinata," Sakura said. She offered another small smile but it was the sadness and love in Sakura's eyes that captivated her and made her wish she had the nerve to hug Sakura. The warmth in her chest twisted as she stood up straight, and Sakura let her go. Sakura shut the door.

Hinata stood quiet, then she glanced at Sakura's bed. Her mind wandered, and her pulse picked up. She looked away from it, but there was only Sakura to turn to. There was no other choice. "Y-you...you don't think I'm w-weird?"

"I...did," Sakura said. "I tried to convince myself that it was all just a misunderstanding. I resolved to ignore it all, and to go see you, make nothing of it—as if to prove that. But I decided that wasn't right. That if you felt that way—or at least thought you did—well, I wasn't really sure what to do. So I did nothing. And here you are." Sakura tilted her head, glancing away. "You—love me?"

"I-I don't know," Hinata said. "I mean, I think I love you as a friend, no matter what. B-but that's not really the eh-issue."

Sakura looked Hinata in the eyes out of the corner of her own. "You think I'm pretty? Like, you want to kiss me?"

"Yes," Hinata whispered. "But I'm not really sure what to make of it."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"What you said to me before. About being friends. No one had ever said anything like that to me," Hinata said. She loosely covered her mouth with her hand and glanced to the side. "I started to actively care about how you thought of me—without even realizing it. Then my father said something to me, and it clicked. I started noticing things about you. Things that I liked. Physically. Nothing specific, at first. Just that I wanted to be near you. But I'm not really sure what any of it means."

"It sounds to me like you do know," Sakura said. She stepped towards Hinata.

"S-Sakura?"

"It must be hard," her heart's desire said. She took another step forward and embraced Hinata.

Hinata's arms dangled by her sides as she tried to comprehend what was going on. The warmth, softness, and scent that was Haruno Sakura filled her with what she was only willing to call love. It didn't matter why Sakura had done it. All she knew was that she wanted to be held by her, so she accepted everything that was, relaxed, and rested herself in Sakura's arms as she brought hers around Sakura. "It has been," she whispered into Sakura's ear.

"I'm sorry."

"Wha-why?"

"I shouldn't of ran away. I should have been there for you. I didn't want to cause you any pain, but really, I just didn't want to deal with it."

"S-Sakura. I love you, Sakura. I don't care if it hurts. I just want to be near you."

Sakura began to move away, creating a vortex between the two. Or maybe Hinata just didn't want to let go. Sakura drooped her head, and she glanced up at Hinata, blushing. "I don't know if I can ever feel that way about you."

"I know." Hinata's attention shifted between Sakura's loving green eyes and her soft pink lips. Before she knew what was happening, those lips were on hers.


	10. Love, Interrupted

"Was that...okay?" Sakura asked.

Hinata looked so relaxed that she might fall over—so red (amplified by the black shirt she wore) one might think she had met Passion itself. Sakura wanted to look away, but she wouldn't allow herself. She watched as Hinata slowly brought her fingers to her own lips. "Yes," she said.

"I've never...done that."

"Me neither." Hinata pulled her fingers from her lips, then immediately put them back. "Why did you? I thought...thought you didn't see me that way."

"It's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"Pity?" She frowned.

"No! You act like I'm so wonderful, but it was you who was there for me. You who defied your father for me."

"A thank you?" Her lavender eyes searched for the answer she wanted.

"No. I love you, Hinata. As a friend. I was curious. I'm going to start training real hard with Lady Tsunade, and I probably won't get to see you very much. I wanted—us—to know."

"Oh. Wa-well?" Hinata's chest was heaving.

"I'm not sure, Hinata. I'm sorry. It was nice."

"But?" Her voice was a whisper, and her eyes glistened.

"I dunno. What I felt—I think it was just a thrill. Just curiosity."

"Oh." She looked away.

"We can do it again."

"No, that's okay."


	11. Searching for Cures

Medical ninjutsu was far more difficult to learn than Sakura had expected. She was always told she was so smart, practically a genius when it came to memorization and chakra control, but that only got one so far when confronted with the sheer volume of information needed to save someone's life. There was a certain amount of chakra to distribute for every type of injury, and to do that on the fly one had to be able to recognize certain signs, especially if operating on internal organs. A man's liver needed to be operated on differently than a woman's, or a boy's, and it depended on how damaged the liver was, too. To send chakra into the body and use its movements and rate of absorption to determine how much would be needed was no easy task to learn. Send chakra into an organ too quickly and it will be destroyed. Send it too slowly and the person may already be dead before the operation is completed.

Tsunade leaned over Sakura's desk. "Ah, very good, my cute little student. Your notes are perfect. Though, I think you should focus more on..."

 _So big!_ Sakura thought. She glanced down at her own chest and felt her face contort. _I wonder if Sasuke wants...no, why am I still thinking of him?_

Cause _that_ is too confusing.

"Thanks, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said as the Hokage went back to work. Sakura turned to her notes and books, but they didn't have the answers she wanted.

 _Hinata. You gentle fool._

Sakura hadn't seen Hinata since they kissed a month ago. Being apprentice to Lady Tsunade was time consuming, and Sakura studied in her free time. She wasn't ignoring Hinata, but she certainty wasn't going out of her way to see her, either. Part of her was glad she didn't have time for Hinata, but another part felt bad and wanted to see her friend.

It was such a mess. Why had she kissed her?

 _"I love you, Sakura. I don't care if it hurts. I just want to be near you."_

She did say that.

But still.

Was it the right choice? Hinata was very introverted and often lacked self-confidence. Sakura wanted to believe in her friend's strength, but had she hurt Hinata?

 _It's no use. Why am I even trying? All I'm good for is figuring out the angles and speeds needed to throw a proper kunai._

Sakura flopped onto her desk and watched a songbird land on a tree branch.

 _That window needs cleaning._

A creaking sound snapped Sakura back up. She turned to see Ino walking in with papers under an arm.

"Hey, Sakura," she said while walking to the Hokage.

"Hi, Ino," Sakura said.

"Here's the reports you asked for, Hokage-sama. My father said everything is going well." Ino handed the papers to Tsunade.

"Thank you, Ino, and tell your father for me," Tsunade said.

Ino made her way over to Sakura. "What's up?" she asked as she pulled a chair up to Sakura's desk.

"Oh, not much, Ino," Sakura said. She sighed.

Ino raised a brow. "Something wrong?"

"Eh..."

"Oh, c'mon, Sakura. You obviously want to talk about it."

"Well, you see, there's this...boy."

"Boy troubles! How wonderful. So?"

"C'mon, keep it down. Anyway, he...told me he loves me. And I don't really know how I feel."

"No way."

"Yeah. We even kissed."

Ino looked shocked. "You... _you_ had your first kiss?"

"Could you be a little more surprised? I don't think you're quite jealous enough."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Whatever. Anyways, it's no big deal."

"No big deal? You have someone who likes you so much they'll kiss you!"

"I guess. I mean, it was _really_ nice. And all the build up...and...and you want to do it again, but you're so scared. And everything does change. But I think the kiss itself isn't so important. It's just a thing."

"Sounds like a really nice thing," Ino said. "I want to kiss someone. How about it?" She grinned.

"Shut up, Ino, c'mon."

"Oh, don't be such a prude. I'm only teasing. Why are you so red?"

 _Because I kissed a girl, you jerk._

"So, what's the problem? You must like him, right?"

"Ino, _he_ said he loves me."

"So? Isn't that what you've always wanted? If Sas... Eh. Sorry. It can't be Sasuke. Right?"

"No."

"Who is it?"

"Not telling."

"Alright. Well, c'mon, what's the problem?"

"What do you think love is, Ino?"

"Sakura?"

"Seriously. What is it? Is it just a feeling?"

"I-I guess. Right?"

"I care deeply for this person. I don't want anything bad to happen to her, but is that enough to be called love when you're talking about a...a romantic relationship?"

"Her?"

 _Shit. Did I just...? Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT._

Sakura laughed. "Him. I guess I'm just really anxious, and you said...and, yeah. I meant _him_. "

"Alright, Sakura," Ino said, but her expression was one of confusion, maybe disbelief. "I guess I can see what you're saying, but if you let _him_ kiss you, you must think he's attractive, right? And you said you care about him. So, what's the damn problem?"

" _He's_ cute, I guess."

"Then I really don't see the problem. Is he not cool?"

 _I definitely don't think most people would call Hinata "cool."_

"A loser?" Ino's face shifted into mock horror. "Is it Naruto?"

"No, Ino, it's not Naruto. Stop trying to guess." _Well, at least Naruto's a boy._

"Oh, but it's so not fair, Sakura! You've got _a boy_ in love with you, and you won't even tell me who!"

Sakura sighed. "Look, even if I think he's cute and care about him, if we get serious, I think I'll just end up hurting him."

"Sakura. Love is love. You can either hurt him now, or you can take a chance and _maybe_ hurt him later."

"It's not that easy."

"But it is! That's all there is! Do you think he'd rather you don't out of some fear for his safety? I get that maybe you think he's come off too strong, but why even do this to yourself? You've got a real chance here!"

 _She's right. Why does she have to be right? This would be so much easier if I could just tell her it's a girl. But there's no way. I'm not even sure I want to be with a girl. It has to be a boy, otherwise she might figure it out. I can't do that to Hinata._

Sakura sighed and shrank in her chair. "I guess you're right, Ino."


	12. I Missed You

"Sakura," that imposing man said, "it's been a while. Come in."

She had found a fondness for Hinata's eyes, or rather what she had seen in them. Her father's, however, she could find nothing good about them. It didn't help that his lips were always curved down at the corners.

"Thank you," Sakura said. She felt forced to hold eye contact and thought that smiling was somehow appropriate.

"Sakura. I'm sorry if I offended you in the past."

"Really? Um, I mean, it's fine."

"Good. I wouldn't want such an important friend of my daughter to think ill of me."

She still couldn't see anything good in his eyes, and that made her more uneasy. His words were calming, though, so she tried to accept them. "I'm glad you see it that way."

Sakura went to step past Hyuuga Hiashi. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said.

Normally, Sakura wouldn't make the connection, but how could she not be thinking about her and Hinata? She didn't mind that Hinata was a girl—she just wanted the correct answer—but she worried what others thought about it.

She wiped her eyes and said, "thank you." But the relief was already fleeting as she took another step. Another person knowing was an uncomfortable thought.

Sakura stood in front of the door and knocked. "Coming," Hinata said.

Her eyes had a sadness to them like she just remembered she thought she would never see Sakura again. Then her face lit up, and her voice mirrored the happiness, "S-Sakura," she said, nearly trembling. She looked like she wanted to jump into Sakura's arms, and Sakura was more than happy to reach out and take her. "I missed you," Hinata said.

"I missed you too."

"I thought...maybe..."

The feeling of sublime warmth that one gets when they hold someone they love whom had not been seen in a while didn't completely describe the feeling Sakura had, but she wasn't totally aware of that, either. She just thought it was love and that Hinata might be her girlfriend, whatever that really meant. Her body knew how to react to passion, though, and Sakura didn't fight the urge to touch Hinata in a way she had never touched anyone. She gently placed her hands on Hinata's cheeks and leaned her forehead against Hinata's. "Not a chance," Sakura said.

She wanted to kiss Hinata, but at the same time she wanted to see how long it'd feel so great simply to look into her big lavender eyes.

"It's been so long..." Hinata whispered. The air tickled Sakura's lips.

"A few months. I'm sorry."

"No," Hinata said, "I understand. We should close the door."

If they closed the door, the moment would be over. Somehow the thought scared Sakura. The door had to remain open.

Sakura slid her arms around Hinata's neck and shut her eyes. Hinata's lips were soft, and warm, and just a little wet. The way she breathed, her chest moving in unison with Sakura's, and her heart beating against it—it was perfect. If that feeling would last forever, Sakura would have no regrets. She'd marry Hinata, if it were allowed.

Hinata parted, blushing. She guided Sakura in, smoothly as a ballet dancer, and then closed the door.

Sakura felt an awe and attraction she'd never experienced before. She took Hinata's hands in hers. "You want to be...?" she asked. Her heartbeat was ecstasy.

"Yes. Yes!"

"It's not going to be easy. We won't see each other for long periods of time."

"I know. But that's normal, isn't it?"

"I suppose. Dedicating yourself to a profession will do that. But it's more than that. This is new and different—in more than one way."

"Yes, I understand. I'm fine with whatever comes our way."

Sakura liked the sound of that. All she really had now (outside her mom and dad, of course) was Lady Tsunade, who was even busier than Sakura. She saw Ino sometimes, but those were mostly coincidences.

"So," Hinata said, glancing aside. "What made you...? Why do you...?"

"You're my friend, Hinata. And you're...cute. And you like me."

"That's it?"

"Well, I could get into the details of why I value those things, but I really just want to keep it simple," Sakura said. She sighed. "I realized I was _so fuckin_ _obsessed_ with Sasuke." Hinata made a face, and Sakura had to laugh. "You're a ninja, and you're scared of a little word?"

"It's just how I was brought up."

"Hyuuga politeness, eh? I guess you are the noblest person I know."

"Thank you?"

"I meant literally." Sakura chuckled. She watched a smile appear on Hinata's lips.


	13. The Hyuuga Heiress

_"You're sure this is what you want, Hinata?"_

 _"Yes, father."_

 _"Once Hanibi is eighteen, there is no going back."_

 _"I understand."_

 _"You need to talk to her, then."_

Hinata looked over her tough, cute little sister, who was sitting across from her on her knees. The discipline that naturally came to Hanabi was something Hinata had to make herself do. Maybe this was how it always was meant to be.

 _"She's a better choice, anyways."_

 _"I think you would have been a fine leader, if you could only find the confidence."_

"Would you like to lead the clan, Hanabi?" Hinata asked.

"I'll do what the clan needs of me, big sister," Hanabi said. Her expression was blank, but Hinata couldn't help but feel wounded.

"Are you disappointed in me?"

"No. If father is okay with it, then it must be okay. I don't quite understand it, though. But I love big sis."

"Hanabi...I love you," Hinata said. Her little sister was young. Was it fair to ask this of her? "But is it something that interests you?"

"I want to try anything that father can do." That was the big difference between them. Hinata wished she could be like her father, but she didn't really care.

"I'm glad," Hinata said.

"Sister, can I ask you...about _that_?"

"I don't see how I can refuse."

"Would they hate you?"

"Some might."

"I don't understand how anyone could hate you," Hanabi said. Her eyes narrowed for a second.

"I'm not completely sure myself. But that's not why I can't be the head of the clan. There must always be an heir."

"Then I must produce one?"

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

Even if Hanabi knew men and women made children, there was no way she completely understood what that meant. But that was normal, and Hanabi was dedicated.

 _"If something happens to Hanabi, you'll have no choice."_

No. Choice. If her precious little sister died, she'd accept that.


	14. The Festival Begins

Sakura caught herself staring at Lady Tsunade's chest again.

Hinata's was developing in that direction. Sakura's thoughts of inferiority were dampened by the security Hinata gave her, but she couldn't understand why some people were so _blessed_. She was smart enough to know it was genetics, but the idea that maybe there was some greater force with a plan that could be using her in any way...no, it didn't have to matter. She was happy with Hinata. As long as she was with her...it was too hard to think otherwise.

Sakura might not have known what it was like to grow up without a family, or to lose a family, but she knew abandonment. It was funny how Naruto, for all his talk of friendship, had just forgotten about her. Instead of being her teammate, he was training to find someone who didn't want to be found. It wasn't about their friendship, but rather the idea of friendship—the fact that he made a promise about what it was.

Naruto was trying to get stronger, which was good. It probably wasn't only for Sasuke's sake, either, but it felt like it. Kakashi-sensei, however...why had he abandoned her? He was supposed to be her mentor. Sakura had told Hinata she'd be fine. She tried to be tough like a real ninja. But wasn't it okay to resent them, even a little? Only until they came back? That's all.

Sakura wasn't much better herself, though. She barely saw her girlfriend, and could hardly remember the last day they spent significant time together. No matter how she appeared and kept her composure in front of others, it was still hard on a fourteen-year-old. She wanted to be with Hinata, but she also wanted to save lives for Konoha.

Today, despite all the conflicting emotions, Sakura couldn't be happier. She'd be able to ignore it all with Hinata during the festivities that night. It was why everything was okay—the proof of what she, and Naruto, and everyone else, was fighting for.

"You can go, Sakura," Lady Tsunade said. She didn't even look up from the paper she was signing.

"You don't need anything of me?" Sakura asked.

"No. If I keep up this pace, I should be able to make my appearance. Have fun tonight."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said. She gathered her things, tidied up her desk, putting papers together, and writing utensils away, etc., then headed out the door.

Sakura had already planned out her dress for the night, but now she second-guessed it. _Would this be cuter?_ she wondered as she held up a yellow kimono to the mirror. It had red waves, and a small amount of white flowers splashed throughout it. No, she had decided on the deep red kimono for a reason. Stop second-guessing now.

This red kimono was a very traditional style of silk cloth with gold trim and embroidery, and the most expansive dress Sakura owned. She knew she couldn't impress Hinata with money, and that Hinata would like any dress she wore, but still, she felt compelled to try. It was this same compulsion that made her worry if she should wear a different one. Was she overlooking something that would actually look better on her? Could they both look great on her? How was she going to do her hair? Shorter hair didn't have as many dramatic options. She wished she could just ask Hinata, but that'd ruin the surprise.

Wait, what surprise?

No, even if it was just a small surprise, it'd set the tone for a precious memory.

She could imagine it now:

 _"You remember our first big date?"_

She'd ask, holding back a smile as she'd study Hinata's face, and eyes.

 _"Of course! You were wearing..._

 _...And you were so pretty."_

And she'd probably blush.

The thought gave Sakura the warmth and enough confidence to just go with it. She did her hair in a bun that favored one side and her bangs loosely wrapped up and pinned along the way to the other side. She applied light pink lipstick and a light red eyeshadow to compliment her green eyes. Sakura posed in front of the mirror and had to admit she looked pretty damn good.

She was nothing compared to Hinata, though. Hinata stood in the doorway, a goddess in a kimono decorated with purple flowers connected to vague turquoise stem shapes that danced around each other without ever touching. The flower pattern took up most of the surface area against a small black background. Her hair had grown long and beautiful, and she filled out her dress in a way Sakura could only hope for. She was starting to accept it'd never happen, but she told herself she still had time. It wasn't only jealously now, though.

"Damn, Hinata..." Sakura said. She had to peel her eyes away to look Hinata in the face.

Hinata's bright yellow lips curved into a smile. "You're beautiful, Sakura," she said.

"Not like you."

Sakura's heart raced as Hinata moved forward, the Hyuuga's every step a lesson in grace. Hinata placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Don't insult yourself, Sakura. When you do, you insult me, too."

Hinata's words didn't totally resonate with Sakura, but she nodded anyways, shut her eyes, and leaned towards Hinata. She felt Hinata's arms stiffen. "Not outside, Sakura."

Sakura sighed and glanced past Hinata. "But you're so confident these days," she said.

"You know that has nothing to do with it," Hinata said. "Besides, I'm only confident with you, and hardly at that." Sakura felt Hinata's soft fingers caress her chin, and she let Hinata guide her head forward to look her in the eyes. "I just want to be with you, Sakura. I feel whole when I'm with you."

" _I love you_ , Hinata," Sakura said.

"S-Sakura, _I love you_ ," Hinata said. Sakura felt one of Hinata's fingers gently graze underneath her eye. Sakura did the same for Hinata. "You...you meant..."

"Yeah, Hinata. I'm so in love with you," Sakura said. She let the moment linger, the two completely absorbed in each other's eyes. "We should get going, right? _Just this_ is probably suspicious."

"You're right," Hinata said. Her face spoke of the same hurt Sakura felt.

They walked side by side, but not _too close_.

"Life's not fair, Hinata."

"Life doesn't care one way or the other, Sakura."

"People are wrong, then."

Hinata didn't respond to that. Instead, she said, "Sakura, I'm stepping down as heir to the Hyuuga."

"Wha-what? You can't! What about the Branch?" Sakura asked. She glanced over at Hinata.

"Sakura, I'd have to marry a man," Hinata said. She had a serious look about her. "Are you okay with that?"

"N-no...but..."

"I may be able to do more good this way. Certain things are expected of the head of the clan," Hinata said. A gentle curve took her lips. "Hanabi has a good heart, just like my father. He doesn't want to do wrong, Sakura."

"I've seen that. It must be tough having all that responsibility," Sakura said.

"Yes. I'm relieved, honestly. I hope that's not too selfish of me."

"It's just as selfish to expect it of you."

"Maybe," Hinata said, "but someone has to do it. There's no winning in those regards."

Sakura stopped before they entered the grassy outskirts, and Hinata followed suit. Just beyond the bustle of town life was the festival. Music played. It was loud in its own welcoming sort of way, if not condemning. Lights flashed, and Sakura could make out booths, games, and rides. People were entering and leaving, chatting, laughing. Kids were excited to go on rides, and some were mad that they didn't get to go on more. Sakura turned to Hinata. "You're so mature. How do you put up with my stupidity?"

"You're not stupid, Sakura," Hinata said. She smiled. "You can know everything in the world, or be the wisest person, but none of that matters. All I want is a good heart that cares about me."

"See. You make me feel childish."

"I was just talking about my own selfishness. Is that childish or mature? Sometimes the line can blur, I find. I'd take someone who knows nothing, but is kind, any day."

"Is that what you saw in Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Hinata said. "And I don't think he's stupid, either."

"Could you be with him?"

"I want to be with _you._ Trust me when I say I love you."

"I-I do. It's just, things change, and if you were with a boy..."

"Sakura," Hinata said, her voice like a clear day. "I. Love. You. I am not Sasuske, or anyone else. I am not going to leave you. Friend, or more."

"S-Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She stared forward.

 _You're an idiot, Haruno Sakura,_ she thought. She had told herself she was going to enjoy the evening with Hinata, but then she went and whined like this. However, it all started because she couldn't kiss Hinata outdoors. Hinata understood that, right? Sakura wanted to reach over and hold Hinata's hand, but she couldn't. She couldn't do this, she couldn't do that.

"I need to kiss you," Sakura said. "Waiting. Making plans. It's wrong. It hurts."

Hinata looked at Sakura for a while. "Byakugan!" she said. After a moment, she grabbed Sakura by the wrist. "This way."

The two ran by people, around festival stands, and all the while, Sakura's heart pounded. She leapt out of the way of a person on a few occasions, and Hinata had to help her from falling, once. They eventually came to a spot behind a large tent (where something like a talent show was going on, Sakura assumed) that was at a good enough angle so other booths blocked most views. Karaoke played some silly love song sung by a mediocre drunk.

Hinata dispelled the jutsu, and before Sakura could say a word, Hinata turned to her and pressed her body against her. She slid her hand down Sakura's wrist, entangled her fingers with hers, and held the back of Sakura's head with her other hand. Her lips burned with wet passion, and every time Sakura gasped for air, she took in some of Hinata's warm breath. It sent a shiver down the back of her neck.

Hinata let go of Sakura's hand and brought her now free hand to the base of Sakura's back. She slowly leaned Sakura over and gently guided her down until Sakura was sitting on the ground. Then she pressed her weight on Sakura, pushing her down, and down, until Sakura could feel blades of grass against her neck. Atop Sakura, she kissed her, again and again. Sakura felt nothing but ignorant pleasure. She'd let Hinata do whatever she wanted.

"Hih-Hinata," Sakura whispered. Her face was so warm. She could only imagine how red she was.

Hinata, her eyes half-open, and her hair all but draped around them, said, "ever since you kissed me, I've dreamt of how I'd kiss you."


	15. Fire Under the Stars

Hinata was laying on top of Sakura, a hand cupped around her chin and cheek. She tilted Sakura's head and brushed her lips against the skin of Sakura's neck. It became a little damp, and the warm air from Hinata sent a shiver down Sakura's spine. "Hih-Hinata," she said, her heart beating against her chest. She got a vague feeling of Hinata's large breasts moving against her dress. An image of Hinata's naked breasts pressed up against her own flashed through her mind, and she let out a moan.

"Mmmm," Hinata purred into the nape of Sakura's neck. The vibrations tickled _way too good_ and Sakura had to wonder where this was going. She pleaded for it to never stop.

Hinata, with her free hand, traced her fingers down Sakura's soft forearm, like silk glancing off silk, until she found Sakura's hand. Sakura's hand was limp, and Hinata placed her fingers through hers, then caressed Sakura's index finger with her thumb. "Sh-should...should we be doing this here?" Sakura asked.

Hinata kissed from her neck up to the corner of her lips. "No," she said, then covered Sakura's bottom lip with soft, sweet passion. "But this is the most excited I've ever been."

"How can you be so bold?" Sakura whispered into Hinata's mouth. She felt Hinata's weight shift as the warmth against her mouth disappeared. A hand brushed hair from her face, then glided down to her cheek. Sakura opened her eyes to an image of dark beauty—Hinata (in her purple and black dress, and her matching hair) lit by a backdrop of small white stars. The brisk night air was between them now. (How long had Hinata been atop her?) It wasn't cold, but cool. Still a good enough excuse to want to pull Hinata back down.

Hinata had a playful smile, mischievous, and her eyes glinted something warm. "Look at you, so sexy," she said, peering down at Sakura as she straddled her. The heat against Sakura's stomach felt nice.

"Seh-sexy?"

"Yes," Hinata said. She brushed her other hand up and down Sakura's forearm as she continued to caress Sakura's cheek. "If you could only see yourself. Hair a mess, cheeks burning. And those eyes and lips. _Craving_. _So dirty_ , Sakura."

"Dirty?"

"I reflected a lot on what I wanted, Sakura," Hinata said. Her eyes softened to a warmth Sakura knew well: love. "The truth is, I am terrified. But I realized that things could have played out much more differently, and I decided I didn't want to make you have to lead me the whole way. If I want to do something, and I see a chance, I have to try."

Sakura pushed herself up onto her elbows until she was inches from Hinata's face. "You're so right, Hinata," she said. The corners of her lips pulled up, then merged with Hinata's. She pushed Hinata back, making her catch herself with her palms. Sakura leaned over her, wrapping her arms around Hinata's body. Hinata pushed off the ground and spun them around so she was on top again. "No fair," Sakura said.

"There is no 'fair,' Sakura," Hinata said. Her hands were to either side of Sakura's head as she straddled her once more. She grinned.

"Is that so? "Sakura asked.

"Yeh-yeah," Hinata said. A bit of worry spread across her face. "Sakura, what's with that look?"

"While you've been thinking about how you'd kiss me, I've been thinking about how _I'll fuck you_."

"S-Sakura!"

Sakura laughed, then rolled them over. She looked down at Hinata's glowing face. "Oh, so now you like that word?"

"S-Sakura..."

"Say it."

"S-Sakura..."

" _Say_ _it_."

"Fah-fuck me, Sakura!"


	16. And They Never Did Catch That Festival

Sakura stared at her hand. Between her fingers was the image of a girl sprawled out on her back, eyes shut and panting. Her face was still red, but that heavenly glow had faded. The girl lifted her head and looked at Sakura. The smile that formed on the girl's lips struck her. Sakura put her hand in the grass, clenching blades. The girl sat up and scooched closer. The pit of Sakura's stomach tried to run, and she glanced away.

"Sakura?" the girl asked. She raised a hand to Sakura's cheek then slid it so the tips of her fingers went into Sakura's hair and out again, in a gentle circular motion. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura looked the girl the eyes. They were so inviting that she didn't want to go. "No," Sakura said. She tried to smile.

"S-Sakura? I love you, Sakura," the girl said. Her eyes glistened.

"I...I love you, too," Sakura said.

"Sakura, do you want me to...to..."

"N-no. We should get to the festival. Before it's closed for the night."

"Alright, Sakura," the girl said. Sakura knew her well enough to know the sadness on her face was her own.

The two stood up. The girl brought herself close to Sakura. She looked so delicate compared to _before._ Sakura smiled, but she could feel the sadness tainting it again.

"Do you regret it?" the girl asked.

The pain in her voice and the compassion in her eyes brought tears to Sakura's. Sakura reached over and hugged Hinata. "No, of course not," she said. So warm. So soft. She rubbed her cheek into Hinata's neck.

Hinata held Sakura tight with one hand and ran the other up and down her back. "Then why?" she asked.

"I...I'm sorry, Hinata," Sakura said. Hinata's hair tried to tickle her face, and its scent brought back memories of her crying on her bed two years ago. She had been...was always so nice to her. "I think I'm just having trouble processing it all."

"Don't be sorry. If everything were easy, we might not be here, this night, together."

Sakura tried to push herself closer to Hinata. When she felt she might hold on too tightly, she looked up at the stars. "I kind of can't believe myself," she said, "it's funny, isn't it?"

"Funny? How?"

"I can't believe you actually said it," Sakura said. She giggled.

Hinata didn't respond. Sakura pulled back and looked over Hinata's blushing face.

"You dummy," Hinata said. She leaned her forehead against Sakura's. "I love you, so, so much, Haruno Sakura."

"I love you, so, so much, Hyuuga Hinata."


	17. Guess What I Saw

Yamanaka Ino was always a curious girl. Perhaps her curiosity also made her mischievous. Perhaps it was her controlling nature. Whatever the case, she'd often find herself in minor bits of trouble. It didn't help that she couldn't control her sarcastic attitude, either. Whenever someone confronted her about what she saw as playful behavior, she'd laugh and shrug it off. For example, she'd often tease Sakura about the very things she tried to protect her from (her insecurities about her forehead, how others saw her, that bitchy tone Sakura sometimes had behind kind words, her obsession with Sasuke, etc.). It was Ino's way of trying to toughen Sakura up. How many times did she have to remind Sakura that she didn't really think that way of her? That it was just a joke? Nonetheless, Sakura would often get mad and Ino would respond with something like a shrug and: "Don't be so sensitive, Sakura. That's why they make fun of you, you know." Yamanaka Ino was a nice girl, but her words didn't always seem to agree. Her personality would often have people mad at her, or get her into situations she wasn't prepared for.

This was and was not one of those times. Ino was just trying to find her friend. She had spotted Sakura (in a pretty red dress) enter the festival area a few minutes ago. Sakura had seemed to be with someone, but before Ino could catch up, Sakura disappeared behind a crowd of people. It felt like just when she didn't need it the most, the people around her swarmed and boxed her in, like they couldn't have her catch up to her friend.

Ino jumped and caught a glimpse of pink hair. She jumped again, and it was gone. _Stupid crowd_ , she thought and tried to squeeze her way between two people. "Hey, c'mon, move, please!" she said. One of the people (a middle-aged man—he had a scary face) gave her a little wiggle room, and she managed to slide by, hopefully without ruining her dress. She wasn't so positive about her hair, though.

Navigating through the crowd was like doing an obstacle course that was consciously trying to make the contender lose. How the hell was Sakura moving through it so easily? Whatever, it looked like she was heading all the way to one end, and Ino would be there sooner or later.

 _Where could she have gotten off to?_ Ino thought while looking around the corner of a gaming booth (some goldfish catching thing—it had a sign: "No Ninjas Allowed"—typical discrimination against the sneaky village defenders).

Eventually, she saw that pink hair (the way it was done up was pretty) and that red dress. Wait, what was Sakura doing, and who was that underneath her? Ino's first instinct, of course, was to take a defensive posture, but then she noticed Sakura was caressing the person's face and delivering kisses to it. Wait, that's a girl. Definitely a girl. Hinata? Ino couldn't be sure. She hadn't seen her in a long time.

All of a sudden, Ino realized she probably shouldn't be watching this. _Good for you, Sakura,_ she thought and began to turn and walk away. But then there was a moan, and Ino noticed that a large portion of Hinata's legs were exposed. Where was Sakura's hand? _Oh my._ Ino covered her face. As she started to walk again, she heard another moan and took a peak. Her heart raced while she watched Sakura kiss the beautiful girl pinned beneath her. She'd never seen anything like it. _Okay, okay, this is wrong. I need to leave them alone._

Ino sighed. What was she going to do? Now she definitely had to talk to Sakura. Should she wait somewhere nearby where she could see them exit? Ah, but she wanted to see more of the festival with Shikamaru and Choji. Who knew how long Sakura's activities would take? But she had to wait. This was too good. _Boyfriend_ , she thought and chuckled. That was the prettiest boy she'd ever seen. Heh, who could have guessed Sakura was into girls? All that pining over Sasuke for nothing. Now Ino could be free to... No, Sasuke was gone. Long gone. It was ridiculous. Two years felt so close, yet so far. At least Sakura found a way to move on. Truth be told, Ino hadn't been quite as obsessed with Sasuke as she had made herself out to be. Her rivalry with Sakura had fueled the flames beyond reality. It had hurt when Sasuke left, but she found herself over him fairly quickly. They had been nothing, after all. He was just a boy in her former class, and she wasn't about to let herself get hung up on someone who made such poor decisions.

So, she waited by the far end of a booth. And waited.

"You gunna try a game?" the man behind the booth asked.

"Sorry, ninja," Ino replied.

And wai—

Oh, here they come now.

Ino couldn't hide the glee in her heart. She finessed her way around the edge of the booth, excusing herself whenever she became a nuisance to someone playing. Ino would stay a little behind them for a small bit then surprise Sakura. That is, if she could keep up with them. Maybe she should just rush in. Nah, the thrill was too good. When closer, she saw that Sakura and Hinata (yeah, it was definitely Hinata) kept grazing fingertips against each other's with smiles across both their red faces. Sakura glowed like Ino hadn't seen since she had tied her bangs back for her. Why had she let Sasuke come between them? It was so stupid. Well, maybe she didn't need a girlfriend like Ino anymore... Ino laughed to herself.

Well, there was Sakura's shoulder. Time to give it a little tap.

"Sorry," Sakura said and continued to walk.

Ino grabbed Sakura by the shoulder.

"What gives?!" Sakura said, turning around. When the two were face to face, Sakura's frown turned into a smile. "Ino!"

"Hey there, friend," Ino said. She embraced Sakura. Sakura hugged her back with only one arm. Ino turned to Hinata. "Hi, Hinata."

"Hi," Hinata said. She stood in elegant, embroidered purple and black. The turquoise flower pattern really offset the whole piece, and that yellow lipstick made her eyes shine bright. She had grown into a gorgeous young woman, and if Ino wasn't mistaken, not such the quiet girl she remembered. Ino would be jealous if she wasn't sure she was the prettiest of them all.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Ino said. She couldn't stop her mouth from stretching her cheeks.

"Oh, you know," Sakura said. She glanced at Hinata. "Training. That sort of thing."

If Ino didn't know any better, Sakura would still be such a bad liar. What was it, about a year ago that she had made a poor attempt to cover up referring to her boyfriend as "her?" Ino had gotten a really strange feeling from that whole conversation, but with time, she had figured she was mistaken.

Ino threw her arms out wide as if to embrace the entire festival. "No, no, Sakura, I mean, what have you been up to _here_ , this beautiful night?" she asked. She turned to Hinata and smiled. "And Hinata, might I say, you look _really_ pretty. If I weren't straight..." She winked at Hinata.

Hinata went red, but her expression wasn't of the bliss she carried earlier. She put a hand to her cheek, fidgeted with her kimono wrap, and looked away. "Th-thank you," she said.

"Oh, so you are still shy after all, eh?"

"I-Ino, we were...sight seeing," Sakura said. She was now red too. There was a blade of grass between her fingers that she was twisting around and around. "You know? Waiting for the Fifth and the fireworks."

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Ino asked. She raised her shoulders and hands, palms out towards them, as if to say "what gives?" "You're acting like you're being tortured or something. Do you want me to leave that badly?"

"N-no, of course not!" Sakura said.

Hinata brought her hand down to her mouth, covering it with the long end of her sleeve. She shook her head.

"Good, good," Ino said. She spun Sakura around so she was facing straight away from her, then loosely hung an arm around Sakura's furthest shoulder. Ino hung her head over the other and started to walk. Sakura complied. "Hey, Hinata, I'm just going to borrow her for a moment. I'll return her in a few, okay?"

"Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Come on, Sakura, there's just something I got to ask you," Ino said. Sakura turned her head to Ino so their faces were inches away. Ino felt her grin widen.

When they had melted into the crowd, Sakura asked, "What is this all about, Ino?"

"Weeeellll, I was just wonderiiiing," Ino said. She chuckled.

"Ino?"

"I was just wondering when you were going to introduce me to your _boyfriend._ "

"Boyfriend?" Sakura asked.

Ah, she could still be so dense. How fun.

"You know," Ino said. She was still hanging on Sakura as they slowly walked through the crowd. "The one who kissed you. The one who lllooovessss you." She raised the index finger of her free hand and pointed to Sakura's face. Sakura watched it. Ino poked Sakura on the cheek. "The one with the nice pair of tits." Ino brought that index finger to her own lips and tilted her head up at the stars. "So strange, I didn't think boys had those."

Sakura went white. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

Ino snorted and shook her head at Sakura with a face that said "you can't bullshit me." "C'mon, Sakura, it's so obvious," she said.

Sakura dropped her eyes. "It is?" she asked.

"Nah. I just happened to be trying to get your attention when I stumbled upon something _interesting_."

"You...you saw... _everything_?"

Ino stroked her chin. "No, but I definitely know what you were doing," she said, "and don't look so scared, Sakura. I think it's great. I'm happy for you."

"Really?" Sakura asked. Her face was no longer pale, but red. It suited her pretty emerald eyes much better.

"Really. Your lipstick is all smudged, by the way."

Sakura brought a hand to her mouth and tried to rub it off.

"Here, let me help," Ino said. She raised her thumb over Sakura's lips and touched down at the corner of her mouth. There was a shock, and for a moment Ino felt her heart stop, then beat like it wanted out of her chest. She stared at Sakura for a lifetime then jumped off of her. She had teased Sakura enough for one day. "So, it was nice seeing you, Sakura. I need to get back to Shikamaru and Choji. It was my idea to come here, after all. I told Asuma-sensei to make it a bonding exercise." Ino laughed. Why'd she do that?

"Yeah, Ino. Nice seeing you, too."

"I'll see you around," Ino said. It felt like air was caught in her throat. She gave an awkward wave and received one in return.

That night, Yamanaka Ino dreamt that Haruno Sakura was staring down from atop a blond haired girl.


	18. Karma

Ino's eyelids fluttered. She was somewhat aware that she was in her bed, but a strange warmth and sense of bliss kept her somewhere else. _Sakura_ , a voice that she couldn't control said. Sakura didn't respond with words, but she looked down at Ino with loving eyes, and Ino felt the words—she just knew what her heart wanted to hear. Her hand was now at Sakura's cheek. Sakura shut her eyes and brought her face to Ino's. When their lips met, Ino could feel that fire in her heart. Then her fingers were between Sakura's and she saw herself laying in grass on her back, one of Sakura's hands sewing its fingers between Ino's as she held it to the ground near her blond hair. Sakura's other hand was caressing Ino's thigh, and all of a sudden, Ino was naked.

She opened her eyes and looked around through the darkness for a few seconds. Her chest was fuzzy and she could feel a small relaxed smile across her lips. She had dreamt about having sex with her best friend, but she was too filled with that sublime, half-awake state to process what it meant. Her eyes were heavy, and she was happy to oblige them. The pillow felt nice against her face, and she nuzzled into it. _Take me back to Sakura,_ she patted at the extra pillow next to her, grabbed it, and hugged it to her chest.

When the sun finally stroked her awake in the morning, Ino felt like she was forgetting something both wonderful and terrifying. What was it? What had she done? No, it was a dream. A dream. A dream of Sakura. That's right. What about Sakura? She couldn't figure it out, and she kept trying as she sat up. She combed a hand through her hair. Some stayed tangled between her fingers and she looked down at it. Her dream was... Her heart pounded. She was kissing Sakura. And... No, that wasn't right. It was Hinata that she was kissing, right? She was just confused and mixing reality with what she thought was a dream. _Me and Sakura, yeah right,_ Ino thought. She convinced herself with a laugh as she got out of bed.

Later, Ino was helping out at the flower shop when the first and last person she wanted to see came through. Sakura stood in the doorway, the sun glowing behind her. Ino smiled. She was way too happy and shook her head. No, it was just her friend. She was always this happy to see Sakura, right? It was nothing more. But her heart just kept leaping up and down her throat as flames tried to burst from her chest. That, she had never experienced from Sakura. It...it was because of what she saw. That's right. She might have had a strange dream (she told herself she wasn't sure) but it was only because she had seen something _interesting._ Different. Images of yesterday night flashed through her mind. She shouldn't have watched. Then she remembered pretty Sakura—no—Sakura's pretty eyes (they were just eyes—it was normal to find even another girl's eyes pretty). A dark, vaguely reminiscent image of Sakura atop a naked girl crept into her mind and her heart overflowed with desire.

"Ino?" Sakura asked. She stood right in front of Ino, acting all innocent, like she hadn't _touched_ Hinata in public. Her head was tilted, and Ino felt her soul being searched by those knowing, pretty emerald eyes. She brushed some of her pink hair behind an ear and gave a bashful smile.

"H-hi, Sakura," Ino said. Despite telling herself to act normal (or maybe because of it), she gulped. "What's up?" Her palms were getting slick. She wiped them on the backs of her legs then started twirling her hair.

Sakura glanced off. "Hi, Yamanaka-san," she said. Ino turned to see her mother.

"Hi, Sakura. How have you been?" her mother asked.

"I've been well, and you?"

"Can't complain. Ino, did you cut and arrange those flowers?"

"Yeah, mom," Ino said.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone then."

Ino watched her mother walk off, then turned to Sakura.

"Can we talk in private?" Sakura asked, "somewhere noisy outside?" She was looking bashful again.

Everywhere outside was noisy at this time of day, so they just stepped out the door and went some ways away so they wouldn't be blocking it.

"So?" Ino asked.

"I'm really grateful for what you said to me last night. It meant a lot. I haven't been able to talk to anyone about my feelings, except Hinata, but you know, she's not going to be wholly objective, I'd think."

Oh. Was that all? Ino smiled. "Of course, Sakura," she said, "you're my friend."

"Ino..." Sakura said. Her face became elated and she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Ino.

Why was Ino paralyzed? She forced her arms up, but the moment she hugged Sakura, the fear washed away and she shut her eyes and enjoyed the embrace. Sakura parted from her and looked Ino in the eyes, smiling. An image of Sakura's lips coming at her made her pulse pick up. Her chest was heaving. She told her heart to slow down, but all it did was stop dead, then beat furiously again when she remembered Sakura was in front of her. She didn't know what to do, so she asked, "H-how did you two...happen?"

Sakura's face turned red. So cute! No, what was she thinking? No. Wait. She always found Sakura cute. She was her friend, after all, and she protected her and supported her. That meant finding her cute when she was cute.

"Well," Sakura said, "it's a bit of a long story." She had her arms behind her back and was stroking up and down a forearm.

"I'll listen."

"Well, it started when Sasuke left. Hinata was there for me, and..."

So, Sakura began her story.

Ino laughed. "So, _you_ kissed _her_ ," she said. "And here I thought someone liked you so much they had the guts to kiss you."

 _I would,_ that voice said. She felt the blood rush from her face to her heart. What was she thinking? Had what she seen really played with her head this much? It was so stupid. She needed a long bath and some tea.

"Ino?" Sakura asked. She tilted her head. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

No, she had seen something far more terrifying, and if she continued to have these thoughts, she'd have to ditch her friend until they went away.

Sakura looked at the ground. "Oh, I get it," she said, "you're teasing me. You really think it's weird, don't you?"

Weird? Yes, it's weird. That's right. Definitely weird. "Y-yeah, Sakura, it's a little weird," Ino said.

Sadness shadowed Sakura's face. "Oh," she said. "I guess I was mistaken. I'll leave you alone." She glanced up at Ino with a face that stung the heart. Then she turned to walk away.

"Sakura, wait," Ino said. She reached forward and grabbed Sakura's hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It's just...it's just what people think. I don't, I promise. I remembered something I needed to do and it distracted me, so I just, you know, repeated some dumb stuff I've heard. I'm sorry."

Sakura glanced over her shoulder. "You mean it?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sakura, I love you and I don't want anything to ever get in-between us again," Ino said. That was the first time she had ever told Sakura she loved her. She wasn't scared, though. Sakura's friendship was more important than whatever was going on within her. "If I ever say something stupid, just tell me, okay?"

Sakura turned to Ino and grasped the cloth over her heart. She smiled, tears welled up in her half-open eyes, and said, "I-I love you, Ino." A tear trickled down her cheek. Ino took care of it for her. From now on, she'd always protect Sakura. "Um, I hope we can hang out sometimes. You, me, Hinata. It'd be nice to be able to be ourselves in front of someone." She blushed. "I don't mean we'd do anything weird."

Ino caressed Sakura's cheek. It was okay to do that for a crying friend, right? "I'd love to," she said. She'd watch Sakura from a distance by her side while she figured out what these feelings were.

Sakura smiled. "So...how was Lady Tsunade's performance?" she asked.

"You didn't see her?"

"Me and Hinata left shortly after you ran off. We watched the fireworks from outside the festival"

"Oh. Well, she was...drunk. Very drunk."

Sakura sighed. "Of course she was," she said.

"She's got a tough job."

Sakura's eyes dropped to an annoyed expression and she sucked her lips to one side. "Most of it is just signing papers," she said, "don't let her fool you."

Ino laughed. "I'll take your word for it," she said.

Sakura let out a huff of a single laugh.

Ino realized she was still holding Sakura's hand. She shrugged. If Sakura didn't care, neither did she.

"You want to get something to eat?" Sakura asked.

"I've got lunch in the store," Ino said, "maybe some other time?"

"Oh. Okay. I'll get in touch with you and we can set a date. You don't mind if Hinata comes along, right?"

"Of course not," Ino said. Hold up, why wait? If she wanted to strengthen her friendship with Sakura, just do something. "Hey, how about lunch this weekend?"

"That'd be great for me," Sakura said, "I'll meet you here on Saturday?"

"Sure!" Ino said.

Sakura smiled and her fingers slipped from Ino's hand. Ino's heart raced with every last second of it, and she burned into her mind the memory of her sensitive fingertips grazing off Sakura's soft palm. Sakura waved. When she disappeared behind people, Ino stared at her hand, then clenched it over her heart, holding it there with her other.


	19. Painful Silent Watching

The picture of her and Sakura was by the lamp she had just shut off. Would she dream of her again? Was that something she wanted? As she laid her head on her pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin, she began to think it was. It made her feel good to think about Sakura. She was just scared to think of her in a sexual way. Consciously, she really hadn't, though. A kiss wasn't necessarily sexual, and those images were only memories of a dream. Maybe she wasn't in love with Sakura after all. But then, why did this feel so different? She didn't even know if she'd like how Sakura was in a romantic relationship. Though, Hinata had seemed very happy with her. That's something... If she was seriously considering these feelings for Sakura to be love, then she'd have to accept she was with Hinata.

Funny how when alone in the dark and in the comfort of one's own bed their most honest thoughts can come to light. There's always a fear that lingers in the back of the mind when the dark sets in, and a safety one has come to learn from the covers. It's so easy to allow oneself to be who they are or face something that is bothersome. On the other hand, it's also easy to dwell on the fears and allow them to become consuming and turn fiction into reality. Then, there's always the possibility that in the morning you'll tell yourself none of it was true, that it was just thoughts in a vulnerable state, and the mask will go back on, or come back off.

Ino's conscious thoughts on the matter weren't quite so complex, but she understood that how she approached the situation would impact the rest of her life. Would it be a good thing to be in love with Sakura? The fantasy felt nice, it made her want to giggle, but the reality was far more complicated. They were both girls, and it was far easier to tell her friend that it wasn't weird than to tell herself. Of course, the biggest problem was that she couldn't have her. It was...a strange mix of emotions to experience together. She was so happy and warm thinking about her newfound feelings, but there was also a sadness that brought tears to her eyes. It felt like someone she loved had just died. Like the life she had imaged for herself and Sakura could only be a fantasy.

She had already given up.

But that was only for the night. In the morning, she accepted that she had seriously considered what she felt to be love. She didn't think about how they couldn't be together, but rather how she couldn't wait to see Sakura again. They were nothing right now but friends. That was good enough, she told herself.

Yet, she found herself in front of her mother, about to ask her for the most important piece of relationship advice.

"How do you know when you love someone?"

Her mom looked at her for a while. There was curiosity on her face, but she simply said, "When you'd do just about anything for someone."

Yeah, Ino could figure out that much. She had resigned herself to help Sakura in any way she could. "How do you know if...if you're _in love_?"

This took a lot longer for her mother to say. "Well, that depends if such a thing even exists," she said.

What? Ino had never once considered it didn't. "I believe it does," she said.

"Then it's when you'd do anything for someone you're sexually attracted to, and you can't imagine being without them."

Not being able to be with Sakura had brought her a lot of pain last night. Ino put a hand to her upper arm and looked away from her mother. "And what do I do if the person I love already has somebody?" she asked.

Her mother didn't answer for a while. Finally, she asked, "Are they good together?"

"Y-yeah. As far as I know," Ino said. Ino heard her mother sigh and she looked her in the eyes. Her mother looked sad. "Mom?"

"You're not going to like what I have to say. You should do yourself a favor and get over him, or else you're likely to get yourself hurt," she said.

Of course, it was the answer she dreaded. Her heart felt like it had dried up and was strangling every bit of blood that tried to get through. "But, mom," she said, feeling the tears come. She wiped her face and took a breath before they started. "If you love a person, shouldn't you stay by their side, no matter what?"

"Life isn't perfect, especially when it comes to love, Ino," she said, "that's something you're going to have to accept."

Ino looked down at her hands playing with her hair. "Mom," she said. It didn't have to be weird. It was only weird if people made it weird. "What if...what if..." Her heart was tight, but like a cork about to burst, this time. It felt good in a way. "What if that person is your best friend?"

"You're in love with Shikamaru? I didn't know he had a girlfriend. Didn't peg you for the ordinary type, either."

"He's a genius, but no, mom..."

"Choji? I thought you were a little shallower than that."

Ino looked up at her mother. "Mom!" she said.

"Sorry, sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. Who, then?"

"Mom..." she said, looking at her mother and hoping she'd understand the face she was making meant she wasn't ready to say it out load.

Thankfully, after some time, her mother said, "Oh." She glanced away. "And she...she's like that?"

Like that? Why was it so hard to say? She didn't blame her mom, though. She couldn't either.

Ino nodded.

"And how long have you known?"

Ino thought about how best to answer that question. If she said only a couple of days, it would seem like she was just being silly. But, that wasn't exactly the truth, either. "I don't," she said, "that's why this is so hard. I love her, and I've been having these feelings for her, but how am I supposed to know if they are real if I can't do anything about them?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think there is an answer to that. You're going to have to be her friend and wait and see, or distance yourself from her. It's sad, but that's all you can do. I didn't raise a home wrecker."

"Mom, that wouldn't be my intention... But what if she could have feelings for me and I do nothing about it?"

"Ino, you're a wonderful girl. She very well could. I mean, it's possible that everyone could have feelings for you, but they don't have to be any stronger or better than they are for someone else. What's important is that you are happy with who you commit yourself to. If she wants to be with you, you have to let her come to that decision on her own. If you try to force it, it'll be just as phony as it is real. Would you want to be with someone who can so easily change her heart?"

"N-no," Ino said, "you're right." She sighed.

Her mother looked at her, brows dropped and eyes inviting. "What will you do?" she asked.

"Be her friend, of course."

"You're sure? You understand that means she has complete control over your heart?"

"No, not completely. This is my choice. But, I get it. If I love her, and want to do this, I have to mean it. I won't get in the way of her relationship."

And so, she may have learned a few new things or been able to see a different side to them, but her desire didn't change, and her resolve was now solid. She'd try her best to be happy for Sakura and Hinata and be the best friend to the both of them she could. That was her love, and although she didn't realize it then, it would be the strongest, purest love she'd ever feel.

What she did know, was that it was going to be difficult and painful. To what degree, she didn't even begin to comprehend.

And so, the day passed, and night came. In her bed, despite herself, Ino found herself thinking, _Hinata doesn't have to show up. Please, I just want some time with Sakura._

And so, the day passed, and night came. In her bed, despite herself, Ino found herself thinking, _I know what I said, and I promise I won't do anything, so please, I just want a day with Sakura._

And so, the day passed, night came, Ino said her prayers, and then it was Saturday.

And Ino was about to learn just how painful it was to be in love with your best friend who is seeing someone else.

Ino was tending some roses when Sakura and Hinata walked in. They were both wearing casual but nice clothes to go out in. And there was Ino, in her regulars. Oh well, she was typically a better dresser that most, even on workdays. She got up and went to greet the two. With a smile, she said, "H-hi," and cleared her throat, "hi, Sakura, Hinata." She waved like a fool. Hinata waved back.

"Hey, Ino, anything new?" Sakura asked. She came right up to Ino with her pretty green eyes and silky pink hair. Her perfume was better than any flower.

Ino wanted to talk, but she was unsure she'd hear herself over her heartbeat, so she just shook her head.

"So, Hinata wanted to look for some flowers before we went out."

Ino looked at Hinata.

"Pressing flowers is a bit of a hobby of mine," Hinata said.

"O-oh, that's nice," Ino said. She cleared her throat again. "What were you looking for?"

Hinata cocked her head and pierced Ino with those weird eyes of hers. She brought a finger to her lips. "Oh, I don't know," she said, "I was thinking about some kind of iris?"

Ino glanced away from Hinata's eyes and her stomach turned. She forced herself back to Hinata. "Iris? Sure," she said. With a hand-wave, she started walking. "We got some beautiful bearded irises in just yesterday."

"Oh, I was thinking something a little simpler," Hinata said.

"Hey, Ino, is your mother around?" Sakura asked.

"Nah, we close at noon on Saturday, so I was just staying open until you two got here," Ino said, "why?"

"Oh, no reason."

"If you're going to lie, you shouldn't say it that way."

"Heheh, you got me."

"S-Sakura!" Hinata said.

Ino turned to them. Sakura was holding Hinata's hand, and Hinata was red. It made Ino sad, but not because she wanted to be the one in Sakura's hand.

"It's okay, Hinata," Sakura said. She gave Hinata a smile. "She knows."

"Sh-she does?" Hinata asked, "why?"

Sakura's face sank. She glanced at Ino. "Oh, well, you know, she..."

The stupid fool. She mustn't want Hinata to know they were caught.

"I just figured it out," Ino said. She smirked at Hinata. "When you've known Sakura for as long as I have, it wasn't very hard. I got her to tell me the truth. She can't lie to me. Right, Sakura?"

"Y-yeah, that's right," Sakura said. She scratched the back of her head. "Eh-heh, you know me, the bad liar. But Ino's cool with it, right?"

"Yeah, I'm very happy for the two of you."

"Thank you, Ino," Hinata said, "but I really wish you told me first, Sakura."

"Oh, c'mon, Hinata, you're way too paranoid about what people think," Sakura said. She turned so she was in front of Hinata and put a hand on her upper arm, stroking it. Ino felt herself looking away.

"You know it's more complicated than that, Sakura."

"She's no longer going to be the heir, so we can be together," Sakura said.

Ino looked back at the two. Sakura was watching her. "What?" Ino asked.

"Yes, if I'm not going to have children and produce my own heirs, I must step down," Hinata said. She didn't look upset by it.

"We're keeping it on the low until that is all sorted out," Sakura said.

Not have children? She had to already consider these things? Ino hadn't really thought much about it, and especially not the fact that she wouldn't be able to with...with a girl. Though, why would she have? It'd only been a few days and she didn't even know how she really felt. But, for Hinata to go that far... Ino hadn't a chance, and she almost wanted to root for the two. Ino smiled and grabbed a simple purple iris. She walked over to Hinata and Sakura. "Here, take it," she said.

"O-oh, it's beautiful," Hinata said, "how much do I owe you?"

Ino shook her head and said, "On the house."

"No, I couldn't."

"I insist."

"Then I'll take a cherry blossom, too, and I'm paying double...no, triple. I insist."

"Hinata, you don't have to do that."

"Your flowers are so lovely, and the prices so low. It's worth it."

"Alright," Ino said. She walked off and picked out a cherry blossom. When she was making her way back to the two, Hinata was fixing Sakura's hair with the iris. Sakura, glowing, took the cherry blossom from Ino and placed it in Hinata's. They held both hands and looked into each other's eyes, smiling.

Ino felt she'd cry if she didn't look away. If she ever got to have that with Sakura, it'd be nothing but luck. She felt a hand touch hers, then another clasp over it and put something into it. "No, really, I can't," she said.

"C'mon, I insist," Hinata said, "it's honest business."

"You're a precious friend of Sakura's."

"Fine," Hinata said. She took the money back and walked to the counter. She left even more than she had tried to hand Ino.

For some reason, Ino thought Hinata would be more sentimental. Well, she was paying for sentimentality. Whatever.

Lunch started less awkward, for the most part. Sitting around and chatting about life wasn't so bad, and at just a regular restaurant, Ino didn't feel like a third wheel. She even got to sit next to Sakura. Though, those two often made eyes to one another.

Of course, being ninja, training came up.

"I've all but mastered medical ninjutsu, and I've gotten pretty strong, too," Sakura said. She grinned at Ino. "I bet if we had a rematch, I'd kicked your ass."

"Oh? You wanna go?" Ino asked. Sakura was right by her side. She could nearly taste her breath. It'd be nice to roll around with her. Her face felt hot and she couldn't control her breathing.

"Woah, you look serious, Ino. Calm down maybe? I was just joking."

"Don't be so modest, Sakura," Hinata said, "I think I'm scared of you now."

Sakura laughed. "Maybe you've created a monster, then?"

"Huh?" Ino asked.

"Oh, yeah. Hinata has been teaching me taijutsu."

Chakra control. Medical ninjutsu. Taijutsu taught by a Hyuuga. Okay, well, she didn't want to mess with that, but there was no way she was going to back down. "Maybe we'll get to try it some time and see?" she asked. It came out with a sultry tone. Crap, was she flirting? Was this how kunoichi flirt with one another? No, it was all in her head. If anything, it was one-sided. Sakura wouldn't see it that way. Just friendly competition. But her lips looked so soft. Ino felt her tongue rub against her upper teeth.

"So, Ino, what have you been up to?" Hinata asked, and the reality of Ino's situation sank back in.

"Heh, far more impressive than learning from a Hokage, I can tell you that much."

"Do tell," Sakura said. She grinned.

"Nah, it's boring. The best stuff always is, you know?"

"Right, right, Ino. Well, I'm going to use the restroom. Excuse me."

Ino was left alone with her unknowing rival.

"What's up with you?" Hinata asked. She leaned an elbow on the table with her cheek in her hand and stuck a spoon of ice cream into her mouth. Sakura must have beat some of the properness out of her.

"I'm sorry?" Ino asked.

"Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but you keep seeming pretty tense. Are we flirting too much?"

Yes, but any amount would be a pain. "No."

"I see," Hinata said and followed with another spoonful. She put both arms on the table and leaned forward. Those eyes stared into Ino. "So, tell me, how did you know? I'd like to be more careful."

"Oh, um, you know," Ino said. She coughed and glanced away. "I saw you two at the festival."

"Yeah, I was there. So, is that what you went off to talk to Sakura about?"

Was she being interrogated? "Yeah, that's right," Ino said. She fidgeted. It definitely was feeling like it. Or maybe, she was just feeling guilty.

"So, you _were_ teasing us, huh?" Hinata asked.

"Y-yeah. Sorry," Ino said, "I couldn't help myself."

"So, you instantly knew, just by seeing us together?" Hinata asked. She started tapping her fingers on the table.

"Th-that's right."

"When Sakura was on me?"

Ino felt her face drain and become cold.

Hinata made a fist and lightly hit it on the table. "Damn it, I knew it," she said. She grit her teeth and looked around the restaurant.

"It was only because I was following Sakura. You two were moving around so easily, it took me a while to catch up."

"She should have told me."

Well, Ino was going to have to cover for Sakura again. "C'mon, it's embarrassing," she said, "I gave her enough of a scare over it."

"That's not why she kept it from me. She wants to be more affectionate than we can. I was right to be cautious."

Ino ran a hand through her hair. "Alright, but, you know, take it up with her later, please? I don't want to be in the middle of this."

"Oh, c'mon, you think I'm going to make a scene?"

"Alright, sorry."

Ino caught Sakura out of the corner of her eye. She had really learned how to walk like a confident, young woman in the past couple of years. Her little friend she had watched over had grow up without her. There was a gambit of emotions: first starting with pride, then her heart leapt as she felt even more drawn to Sakura. Her mouth dropped a little and she thought she might be staring. Then... It was too sad to think about. She had grown up without her. Ino turned back to see Hinata's piercing face. Her eyes looked wider than before and she raised a brow.

"You..." Hinata said.

Ino felt her eyes mirror Hinata's. She stared at Hinata and gulped.

"Hey," Sakura said. She looked from Hinata to Ino, then again. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Hinata said.

"Y-yeah," Ino said. She slid over into the corner. "I'm done eating anyhow." She started playing with the end of her ponytail.

"Everything okay between you two?" Sakura asked.

Ino turned to Sakura and smiled. "Yeah, we're fine," she said. She looked at Hinata. "I'd never fight with Sakura's precious friend."

Hinata smiled. "Me neither," she said.

"Oh," Sakura said, "okay then."

It was too awkward. Part of her wanted to leave, but she had told Sakura she had the rest of the day free. "Actually, I need to use the bathroom," she said and grabbed her wallet. She put some money on the table. "Just in case you two finish up."

Sakura stood up. As Ino stepped out of the booth, Sakura put a hand on her shoulder. She tilted her head and looked with worried eyes. "You sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Positive."

The rest of the day, Ino felt like a lost puppy. She'd put on a smile whenever Sakura talked to her, but the moment she turned from her, she'd feel abandoned again.

Sakura was trying on some clothes when Hinata pulled Ino aside. She turned her head down and looked up at Ino. "You're in love with her," she said. It wasn't a question.

Ino glanced away. "I don't know," she said, "but I don't intend to get between you two. I promise."

"While I appreciate that, it doesn't matter. This is a problem."

"You don't trust her?"

"I-I do."

"Then it's fine, okay? Just let me be near her. It makes me happy."

"I saw the way you were looking at her," Hinata said. She frowned.

"My thoughts are none of your concern."

Hinata made a "tsk" sound. "Fine," she said.

"H-Hinata? Are you crying?"

"Yes."

"I really won't do anything. She's my best friend, and I love her. She's happy with you, and that's what's most important."

Hinata wiped her eyes. "That's what scares me," she said.

Ino didn't understand what Hinata meant, but she found herself hugging her.


	20. Friendship and Love

It was a few days after her date with Sakura and Hinata. Ino couldn't feel more conflicted. Was it love she was feeling? Should she be the bigger person and push the feelings for Sakura away, for Hinata's sake? No, that wouldn't make her bigger. Hinata had to be her equal, or she couldn't see this situation for what it was. Still, the worst, even worst that never being with Sakura, gnawed at the back of her head: was this just a desperate attempt to have another flame with her old friend? Was she just clinging onto a trend? Following Hinata? Hell, she really hadn't liked Sasuke that much (he was hot, that was it, and she was wise enough to realize it early on) but the flames had burst out of competition.

Ino found her index finger rubbing her thumb and it reminded her of holding Sakura's hand. If this was the same deal as with Sasuke, then she really was the biggest fool. How could she let herself get so mislead? But, she knew, maybe it was just hormones. Things were crazy lately. It wasn't too long ago that she had gotten her first period. Had Sakura? Was that something she could talk to her about? Thinking she might be in love with her best friend made everything seem even more complicated. Everything had to be second guessed. Except...when she was near Sakura, the way she felt... No, even that could be a byproduct of her fabricated truths.

It was so confusing now. So many large changes had happened so fast. She had never felt this way about a girl before. Or, had she? Why was she clenching her eyes so tight?

Sakura, she was always her cute friend. And, though she had noticed Sasuke, it meant nothing until Sakura did too. She had held Sakura up when she needed it the most. That poor girl had been a total outcast. No one paid her any mind, and it brought such sadness to Ino. Did she have some complex to help others? No, it wasn't a complex. She just wanted to. Yet, she found herself following Sakura for Sasuke, and abandoning her best friend out of some mislead sportsmanship.

She sniffed as she looked at the picture in her hands. Had she made herself sick? Were these feelings genuine? Whatever the case, Sakura was with Hinata, and Hinata knew Ino was in love with her. And, despite some large bit of her wanting to break them up, Ino would do nothing to potentially hurt Sakura, because she loved her.

It was hell. And it was only about to get worst.

"Hi, Ino," Sakura said after Ino had opened the door. Sakura had an expression that looked like she was trying to cover up sadness, but it just made her look angry. Ino knew this well. It was how she used to cope with being made fun of. It made her think there was a hidden side to Sakura. She wondered if Hinata knew this side, too. But did it matter? It was in the past, for the Sakura in front of her, though similar, was so very different. There was a possibility that she knew Sakura better than Hinata, but there was also the possibility that it was only a recollection that Sakura would somehow deny. Or, that she just didn't: that that part had grown up and not become hidden, and was the Sakura Hinata knew better than anyone.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Ino asked. Her heart pounded. She hoped her intuition was correct. That Sakura had changed as much as she could have. She wanted to reach out and embrace Sakura. Every bit of her told her it was the exact right thing to do in the moment. Her body, her soul, knew she was right. But she couldn't do it. She could only stand there. And she'd go on to wish she had moved.

"Am I always that obvious?" Sakura asked. No, she wasn't. Truth be told, Ino couldn't figure this girl out, except when she was really trying to hide herself. When not in false cover, Sakura was hard to figure out.

Sakura looked at Ino with wide eyes. Sometimes the way she acted was no different than years ago. It was like her friend of the past. But she wasn't, no matter how immature she could act. Not totally, at least, and Ino had to think hard about how to approach the situation. How would Ino, the best friend, act, as opposed to Ino, the girl in love?

"Only when you want to be," Ino said. She smiled. Did that come out cool? It didn't matter. Sakura returned the smile.

"I got into a large fight with Hinata," Sakura said. Her eyes were a confused mess. She looked away from Ino. "It was so stupid."

"I'm sorry," Ino said, "do you want to come in?"

Sakura didn't bother to say anything. She just let herself in, then said, "Thank you."

Ino sat on her couch (well, her parents') and Sakura sat by her. "What happened?" Ino asked.

"It's so stupid," Sakura said. Her eyelids fell to a half-open sadness. "She was mad about...about me wanting to love her."

So, that's how she saw it. "Sakura, you know that's not fair," Ino said.

Sakura sighed and laid back against the couch pillows. "I know," she said, "and I tell myself, none of it is fair to her. And that someone better than me could treat her right. Respect what she has to go through, and make it work, because she loves her. And if they can do it, so can I. But, I'm just not better than me."

Ino looked down at her hands. She could tell Sakura what she wanted to hear (or at least what Ino thought she wanted to hear), the truth, or... She could say something to try and lead her to her arms. Of course, it was too complicated, and Ino tried a version of the truth. "It's not your fault," she said, "it goes both ways. For her to expect you to be totally okay with it, well, that'd just be crazy. I don't think she's crazy, though. If you did anything to escalate the situation, just apologize. If not, just talk to her."

Sakura sat up. She leaned forward and placed a hand over Ino's. "Thank you," she said. A few tears ran down her cheeks. "I've been so worried that I really screwed up, but I think you're right. It'd not that big of a deal."

Ino wanted to kiss the tears away, but for whatever reason, she couldn't.

Sakura smiled. "I'm really glad I came to you," she said, looking at Ino with glassy eyes. "Thank you." She sucked up a bit of snot. Yet, Ino still wanted to kiss the tears away.

Ino raised a hand to Sakura's cheek. She wanted to kiss her on the lips so badly. Holding back her own tears, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead into Sakura's, and said, "You're my best friend."

Sakura looked into her eyes.

"You can come to me with _anything_ ," Ino said.

"Ino? Why are you crying?"

Ino sniffed. "Because I love you, Sakura, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you," she said.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Ino and said, "I love you, Ino."


	21. Clearing the Mind

Ino always took charge. She led conversations with mesmerizing confidence that captured the interests of her young friends. Arrogance was her chakra, and charisma her ninjutsu. But now, she questioned everything. Was this really how people wanted to talk? What they wanted to talk about? Was this how girls were, or had they followed her? No, Ino was not a lesbian, definitely. She liked boys, and she tapped into what others wanted to hear and talk about. Yet, were they reacting for the same reasons Ino was? It seemed like there should be some shared experience. They were all girls, right? But, Ino was definitely different. She was a leader to them, after all.

These were all thoughts that ultimately mattered only because Ino made them.

Leaves surrounded Ino's face. She leaned back and put a long rod under each of her arms and into the tree. She looked down and watched Choji luring three Sound ninja. He threw a shurikan at one, causing him to jump back. Shikamaru's Shadow Possession connected to two of them. The third managed to escape a far enough distance away.

That was just fine. _Mind Transfer._

It might seem strange to take over another person's body. For the Yamanaka, it came naturally, and Ino felt a sense of completion from forcing another's mind out of their vessel. It wasn't like she wanted power over others, but when she entered that mind, her concentration, sense of purpose, was at its highest. The concentration and natural ability took the out-of-body experience to a higher level. That part was all instinctual, but she still had to think because she didn't know what the body was capable of, nor did she know the tools on hand. She was a ninja, but to have another's life under her control was surreal. If worst came to worst, she could drop out just before a teammate killed it. But her body was vulnerable, and she had to trust those same teammates to protect her. With this ability being her only great contribution, she had to make sure she used it correctly for her team. Shikamaru was the same way (though he had his great mind to back himself up), so he understood her well. He could improvise alone fairly well, but on the field with others, it was far different. Any improvising relied on Choji and Ino realizing what Shikamaru wanted to do without saying a word. He was a very good leader in many senses of the word, but as a team, they lacked a well-rounded ninja, so everything had to be like clockwork.

The worst part of the mess Ino had gotten herself into was the realization that if Sakura was her best friend, then hiding her attraction from her might not be the right thing to do. But she couldn't tell her, either. It seemed like an impossible situation.

Pain seared through her mind, she heard a voice in her head, and saw the body she was possessing cutting Choji down. Then she was back in the tree, and the man below was ready to act out his thoughts. Choji was unaware that Ino had lost control. Shikamaru was holding his Shadow Possession. He glanced at the tree Ino was in.

"Choji, look out!" Shikamaru said.

Ino watched her kunai fly through the air. With a clank, one of the three going at Choji changed direction, and he dodged another, but the third struck him in the arm. There was a gust of wind, and before Ino knew what happened, Asuma was standing over an unconscious body. He then proceeded to knockout the other two. Shikamaru sighed and fell back onto his butt.

Asuma stepped on a cigarette and gave Shikamaru a look. He put a body under each arm then disappeared.

Shikamaru stood himself up and put his hands in his pockets. "What a bother," he said.

Ino leapt down. She ran a hand through her hair. "Are you okay, Choji?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. He pulled the kunai out of his arm.

Ino took out some bandages. "Here, let me help you," she said and started tending to him.

"What happened back there?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I know, Ino. What happened?"

"I just... Got distracted."

"Why?"

Ino tightened the bandage around Choji's arm. She turned to Shikamaru and shook her head.

He sighed. "Whatever it is, get it taken care of. That cannot happen again."

Ino nodded.

If only it were that easy.

Ino sat on her bed and took a deep breath. The world went dark and she looked inside herself. She couldn't tell Sakura. It wasn't only scary (would their relationship change?), but she didn't want to influence Sakura. It felt like she might be treating Sakura condescendingly, but she had promised Hinata. The only answer was to come to peace with herself.

Maybe there was one thing she could do.


	22. Silent Confession

Ino stood in front of the door. She took a large breath and rang the doorbell.

Haruno Mebuki stood before her. "Ino, what a nice surprise," she said. A smile spread across her face. "I'm so glad you two are getting close again."

"H-Hi, Haruno-san," Ino said, "is Sakura around?"

"Sorry, Ino, but no."

"Oh. Okay. Well, could you tell her I came by? It's kind of important."

"Of course. I'll tell her right away."

"Thank you, Haruno-san."

"Would you like to come in for some tea? She shouldn't be gone for too long."

"N-no, that's okay. Thanks again."

"Don't mention it."

At home, Ino couldn't keep still. Her alarm clock was slightly ajar (it read 2:30). She turned it then turned it back. Did it have a place? The ceiling made her anxious as she laid on her back from atop her bed. She could go train and try to get her mind off things, but... Despite the fear, there was no way she was going to miss Sakura. Until she got here, she'd wait. And wait.

Why did she always realize her feelings when it would become a problem? It was the same with Sasuke. She had thought she liked him for a while, but it wasn't until Sakura had told her she liked him that the spark was truly lit—that she knew her feelings. But what had she really seen in him anyways? He was just a cute boy in her class. But Sakura was her best friend, and who cares if she was a girl? Something about that night... Something about what she saw, was beyond attractive. But, would Sakura have been her best friend if she had these feelings before?

Why did she feel like her feelings were so far beyond her control? Was everyone like this? No, Sakura always had her ambitions, with or without Ino, and Hinata had gotten her right from under Ino's nose. If Sakura ended up with her, would the candle burn out? It was too painful to think what these thoughts could mean about herself. She shut her eyes and tried to sleep, but could only think of Sakura. Still, it was nice fantasizing—much better than worrying. However, Ino knew, because of such doubts, she could not act now.

Ino glanced at her clock. 4:01 PM. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said, her heart pounding.

Between the door and frame, Sakura's face emerged, followed by her body. She looked even sexier than the last time Ino had seen her. How could she have such thoughts about her best friend? They were supposed to just be there for one another, and last time, her version of that had split them apart to become rivals—yeah, she had wanted it that way to make them stronger and more independent, but now, that action only caused regret, even though she wondered if they'd be here if not for that.

Ino sat herself up. Despite her thoughts, she felt a relaxing smile cross her face as she looked at Sakura. "Hi, Sakura," she said. It was oddly confident.

Sakura smiled and walked forward. "Ino," she said, "may I take a seat?"

Ino got up and threw herself at Sakura, taking her into her arms. Sakura's hands reached her back.

"Ino?" Sakura asked.

"I have wonderful news," Ino said. She took a chance and rubbed her cheek into Sakura's neck, just for a second. Then she looked into Sakura's eyes. The news she had was about the only thing keeping her mind off kissing Sakura.

"What's that, Ino?"

"We—Shikamaru, Choji, and I—captured a few Sound," Ino said. She put her hands onto Sakura's shoulder's and smiled. "After the Interrogation Corps spent some time with them, one eventually talked. We were able to confirm where one of Orochimaru's hideouts is—the one where Sasuke frequents."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Sasuke?" she asked, "w-we can get Sasuke back?"

"I mean, I don't want to get too hopeful, cause supposedly they move around a lot, but it's possible."

"I... Who knows this?"

"The Hokage, for one. She's going to contact your sensei soon. Shikamaru and I are going to help."

"Naruto will insist he comes if he hears this."

"Shikamaru already has a plan for me, you, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and himself, of course."

"I-I need to sit," Sakura said. She ran a hand through her hair, holding it behind her ear as she stopped in front of Ino's bed. After staring for a while, she sat on the bed. "S-Sasuke... I had given up on him. I'm so pathetic. Do I even deserve to be part of a team again?"

Ino sat by Sakura, their thighs nearly touching. Was it too close? No, no... They're friends and her intentions were pure (mostly). "Sakura, that's not true," she said, "it's not your fault he left. And he didn't leave with some desire to have you long for him while he was gone, right?"

Sakura didn't respond. Ino brought her face closer. She wanted to uncover the side of Sakura's face from her hair. "You've done what you can and come a long way to help Konoha. Nothing about you is pathetic, or a failure," she said. She found her heart pounding as she reached a hand over and placed it on Sakura's cheek, gently turning her so they looked at each other. "Okay?"

"Ino..." Sakura said. Her cheeks were red for some reason. Her lips were the color of apples. Just kiss the pain away. Nothing else matters.

How Ino's heart tensed and squeezed. How her eyes wanted release. "We're going to do all we can," she said. She brought her lips close to Sakura's, but at the last second, tilted so their foreheads met. She clasped Sakura's hands and said, "I promise."

It was bittersweet. The thought of being so close, so close to kissing Sakura, was bliss, but the thought that she couldn't, was hell. No, she could... "Sakura, there's something else I want to talk to you about," she said.

"What is it, Ino?" Sakura asked. The way she looked at her felt strange. Sakura was still blushing, as if she was anticipating.

"Some relationship advice," Ino said. She felt her face heat up, and she turned her head. She glanced at Sakura and said, "but, how are you and Hinata?"

Sakura smiled. "I took your advice, and everything is going to be fine," she said.

"T-that's great."

"So, what is it?"

"I-I... I like someone, but h-he is already with someone, and it's crushing me," Ino said. She turned back to Sakura and squeezed her hands. "What would you do?"

Sakura's eyes fell to a compassionate tone and she smiled. "I'd do whatever I needed to make my feelings known," she said. Did a fire light in her eyes? "After Sasuke, I never want to live in doubt again."

"But... What about the other person?" Ino asked.

"Is it wrong to tell someone you like them?" Sakura replied. The way her head was tilted to one side, the way her eyes spoke and her lips moved with softness—Ino wanted there to be desire, but there was definitely love.

"If you were him, what would you say?"

"Well, for me, I'd say I'm happily in a relationship, but coming from you, it's very flattering. I'd tell you you're a wonderful girl and anyone would be happy with you."

Ino looked away. She shut her eyes to try and hold back the tears, but the suppressed cries escaped her throat.

"I-Ino..." Sakura said.

The tears came with fury. She felt Sakura against her, her arms coming around her.

"I love you, Sakura," Ino said.

"I love you, too, Ino."

Ino clenched her eyes tight and rested her head against Sakura's chest. Sakura and her warmth held her.


	23. With All Your Heart, Fight!

"You're sure you're up for this?" Shikamaru whispered to Ino from their cover of brush. He had one of the Sound ninja restrained (gagged, tied, and beaten—he figured it'd be best to rough him up, so it seemed like he had a struggle to get back). Sakura and Naruto were nearby in brush. Naruto wasn't through with his training, but Shikamaru knew he'd have to come. If anyone could get through to Sasuke (doubtful) he was one of those people (though, perhaps the worst choice, too).

"Yes," Ino said. She didn't know if the meditations had paid off, but for Sakura's sake, she could hold her focus.

Kakashi had been scouting the parameter. The call of a particular bird (native to the area) was heard. Once, and twice fairly quickly. Then a third time.

"It's time," Shikamaru said.

Ino nodded and held her hands out in a triangular shape. With the simple thought, _Mind Transfer,_ she went into the Sound ninja and her body collapsed against Shikamaru's shoulder.

Shikamaru set her body down then untied the Sound. He picked up her body, cradling it. "Man, you're heavier than you look," he said.

"Oh, shut up, maybe you're just weak," Ino said.

"Heh, whatever," he said. He tilted his head towards their destination. "Get going."

The plan was simple on paper: use the hijacked Sound ninja to get as close as possible, with the others following from within Ino's max range. Kakashi would move parallel to Ino. If anything serious happened, Ino would recall herself. If Orochimaru was at this base, then there could be real trouble, especially if Sasuke was with him. In that case, plan A was to retreat. But, if Sasuke was alone, Shikamaru figured, given his previous disposition, he'd likely confront them himself.

She was getting dangerously close now. Would there be traps? Just as she had that thought, a Sound ninja appeared in the tree before her, causing her to send chakra into her feet before the momentum sent her flying from the limb she had just jumped to. _He's fast_ , she thought.

"Ah, Shinsuke, you're finally back," the Sound ninja said, "looks like you had a tough time."

"Heh," Ino said, "nothing I couldn't handle."

"Is that so?" he asked, reaching into his pocket. "Funny, I could have sworn your name is—"

She didn't see him move, only his body appear next to the Sound ninja. Kakashi pulled the kunai from the Sound's throat, then dropped off the tree with the body and set it down. He wiped the blood from his kunai and turned to Ino. With a nod, he was gone. The speed and ferocity of an elite jounin was terrifying. They could just as easily run into one.

It wasn't long before another Sound ninja was spotted. This time, Kakashi took him out before the confrontation even happened.

And it wasn't long before a clearing was spotted. Ino could see Sasuke in the distance. She halted, feeling her hands tremble. He was just standing there. Something touched her shoulder, and Sasuke was gone.

"An illusion," Kakashi said, "he knows we're here, and will probably assume Naruto and Sakura are." It was what he didn't say that mattered, though. As long as he didn't know Ino was controlling the Sound, he shouldn't know Shikamaru and her were there too. Kakashi sent her a nod, and she returned to her body.

"You can put me down, Shikamaru," Ino said.

He looked down at her, then set her on the branch he stopped at. "I take it something is happening?" he asked. Naruto and Sakura landed in nearby trees.

"As you predicted," she said, "he's there, and he knows Kakashi is."

Shikamaru sighed. "That complicates things a little," he said. But, it was calculated into the original plan, anyways.

Ino looked over to Sakura and Naruto. His eyes were narrowed, itching to go meet Sasuke.

"Alright," Shikamaru said, "you two meet up with Kakashi sensei. Ino and I will follow as planned."

Ino watched Sakura's back disappear into the trees. Her heart tightened. _Please_ , she thought. After about twenty seconds, Shikamaru sent her a nod.

Once the clearing was visible, Shikamaru and Ino made their way around the parameter, so they were angled a little bit. The plan sounded simple.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. He stood in the clearing. He looked too tense. Sasuke wasn't showing himself yet. "Let's finish this!"

A sound of laughter erupted from Naruto's left (Ino and Shikamaru were to the right). Sasuke appeared behind Naruto and hung an arm over his shoulder. "You want me to kill you that badly?" he asked.

Shock spread across Naruto's face. "S-Sasuke," he said.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Have you gotten weaker, staying with _them?_ Now even Kakashi can save you now."

Naruto leapt away. No, Sasuke let him. He had grown far stronger than Shikamaru had predicted.

"Sasuke! What's wrong with you?" Sakura said, "he's your friend! We're your friends!"

Sasuke stood straight, placing a hand over his sword. He was confident. Toying around. At least, that followed the plan. He turned to her. "Friends, Sakura?" he asked, "you think it is friends I need? No, it is power. Someone like you couldn't even begin to understand. My purpose..."

"Forget about Itachi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared. "No, you forget about me, Sakura," he said. He tsked, then vanished.

Sakura took a stance and swiped Sasuke's fist away, just in time.

"The Gentle Fist? No, some makeshift trash," he said.

"Don't underestimate me!" she said, reeling a fist back as she parried another strike of Sasuke's. His eyes went red, and he moved to the side. The ground split, and Sakura went back into her stance.

Naruto made some seals.

"You always did have some talent," Sasuke said. "Did you intend to kill me just now?"

"No," Sakura said.

"That weakness is what I don't need," Sasuke said, kicking one of Naruto's clones away.

The Naruto clones shifted, moving around Sasuke.

"Your emotions have gotten the best of you, Naruto," Sasuke said. He smirked. "I can see the real you with these eyes." He dashed forward, his hand over the hilt of his sword, then began to swing. Kakashi grabbed him by the wrist. "Finally showed yourself." Sasuke dropped the sword and made some seals. "Katon: goukakyu no jutsu!" The fire burst forth from Sasuke, and the Kakashi clone vanished.

"You're not in control yourself," Kakashi's voice said.

"I'm beyond you, _sensei_ ," Sasuke said, "you know nothing of control." When the smoke cleared, Sakura was pressing Sasuke, sending more holes into the earth. The three (Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura) continued exchanges blows.

"What are you saying, Sasuke?" Sakura asked. What was she talking about? And the way she said it sounded strange.

Ino didn't have time to think about it, though. A hole appeared in the ground near her and Shikamaru. The head of a dog stuck out, then vanished. Shikamaru weaved his hands.

 _Now, just keep him near,_ Ino thought. It was going better than expected. Shikamaru really knew how to utilize everyone. But more than that, they were perhaps lucky Sasuke was still toying around.

Sakura pushed at Sasuke. He disappeared. Her head went back and she let out a loud yell, then fell to her knees.

 _Sakura!_ Ino thought. She turned to Shikamaru. "What's happening to her?!"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure, but..." he said.

Sakura leapt forward, at a Naruto, throwing a fist at him.

"Sakura?!" Naruto said, raising his hands to block the strike. Kakashi grabbed him and leapt away. Sakura's fist created a crater, catching Kakashi's footing.

"That confirms it," Shikamaru said, "she's under genjutsu." He narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth.

"Sakura? How?"" Ino asked.

"He's too clever, and she and Naruto are not fighting like ninja, but comrades. It's now or never." His shadow crept out of the ground and attached to Sasuke's feet. "Success."

Sasuke turned his head a little. It wasn't ideal. Shikamaru and Ino could be caught by his peripheral.

"Sakura!" Kakashi said, "he's got you!" He leapt again, tossing Naruto. Naruto caught himself.

But she wasn't listening. "Sasuke!" she said, throwing fist after fist.

"His will is too great," Shikamaru said, "I can't hold him much longer."

 _Sakura!_ Ino thought. She made the formation with her hands. The plan was to target Sasuke, but she went into Sakura. She could feel Sakura's mind breaking, her pain, and the tears on her cheeks. _Sakura...Sakura, snap out of it!_

 _Ino?_ Sakura asked.

 _He's got you under genjutsu._

 _That's not possible. I dispelled it. I'm fighting him now._

The genjutsu was still affecting her even with Ino in her mind? _Sakura, he must have made you think you did. I don't want to use your body without your permission..._

 _Ino, if that's the case, just do it!_

Ino sent chakra though Sakura's body then snapped back to her own.

Sakura shook her head with a hand to her forehead. "What?" she asked. She looked around, finding Sasuke, then ran towards him, making a fist. "Sasuke, you bastard!" Just before she struck Sasuke, blue sparks surrounded her body. Her head went back with a yell.

"Found you," Sasuke said. The electricity shot in a stream from Sakura's body. Ino heard a body collapse. She turned to Shikamaru, laying on the ground, clenching his shoulder.

"Damnit," Shikamaru said. His face was contorted in pain.

 _What do I do?!_ Ino thought. Her chakra was so pitiful, and now Sasuke was moving around too much, and surely aware of her.

Kakashi squared off with Sasuke. Blue formed around his hands before the sound of chirping was heard. "I don't want to use this on you, Sasuke!" he said.

Sasuke laughed and made his own chidori. "Can't say I feel the same, Kakashi," he said.

"That's enough!" Naruto growled, a red aura enveloping him. "I'm stopping this now!" He jumped into the air, three tails of chakra forming behind him, and landing with dust where Sasuke had been. With a pounce, he went towards Sasuke again.

 _If I don't do something, someone will die!_ Ino thought. There was only one thing to do. She transferred her mind back into Sakura's body.

 _Sakura,_ she said, _I know it hurts, but you have to fight! I can't use your body effectively. Fight, Sakura!_

 _I feel so numb, Ino._

 _I-I know, Sakura. I feel it too. Focus on me, and we'll move your body together. You just need to focus! Hurry! Shikamaru needs medical treatment!_

 _I can't, Ino. This is too much. Too much pain. Sasuke, why are you still like this? Haven't you gotten strong enough already?_

 _Sakura, he can't hear you!_

 _Sasuke, doesn't it matter to you? How much you've hurt us?_

 _Sakura!_

 _Sasuke, you were my first love. How could you become this? How could I be so wrong?_

 _Sakura, I love you, Sakura!_

 _Sasuke, you love me?_

 _Sakura, snap out of it! It's Ino! It's Ino!_

 _Ino? That's right..._

 _I love you Sakura, and I'm not going to let you die here!_

 _Ino... I love you too, Ino._

 _No, Sakura. There's something I need to tell you. I'm in love with you! With all my heart, I'm in love with you!_

 _I know, Ino. And, I love you too._

 _S-Sakura...?_

 _But, I'm in love with Hinata, too. I don't know if that makes sense, but we're happy together. You have to accept that, okay? For us._

 _S-Sakura._ Ino felt tears on Sakura's cheeks. The feelings were so intense, she couldn't get a good grasp on the situation. She wished they were crying together.

 _Ino, I'm sorry..._

 _No, Sakura. I'm so happy you feel the same way. Now get up, and fight! Fight, Sakura!_

 _R-right, Ino._

Sakura and Ino brought her body up. They looked to Sasuke, who had a foot to Naruto's throat. Kakashi was nearby, struggling to his feet.

 _We can do this together_ , Ino said, _don't let him take control of your emotions. Fight with all your heart, Sakura, and I'll make sure he doesn't put you under his spell._

 _Y-yes._

 _Don't hesitate. I know you don't want to kill him, but he's strong. Too strong to have conflict in your heart._

Ino felt Sakura dash forward. Chakra was surging in her feet. The next thing she knew was the feeling of Sasuke's hair between her fingers. Dust bellowed up around them, and they looked down at Sasuke, one red eye glaring up at them. Sakura pulled back on his hair, then smashed his head into the ground again. A small zap of electricity went through them.

Sasuke coughed. Black and purple marks appeared on his body. He spun on the ground, tearing his own hair out in the process, and swung a fist at them. It was too fast. Sakura was caught in the cheek and she went tumbling into the dirt.

"Heh. Even without chakra, I didn't think you'd make me activate my seal," he said. Ino opened Sakura's eyes and watched Sasuke loom over them. "Commendable, Sakura. Ino."

 _Get up, Sakura! You have to get up!_

 _I can't, Ino. My body is at its limits._

 _Screw limits! I'll move your hands! Heal yourself!_

 _I can't focus. The pain. He wouldn't let us, anyhow._

Sakura was right. Ino could barely crawl.

"You're done," Sasuke said. He was breathing heavily. He turned his back to them. "You still want more, Kakashi? What do you think you can do, when you stood no chance before?"

"I wouldn't be so certain, my naïve former pupil," Kakashi said.

"Oh? Have you lost your mind?"

Ino turned Sakura's head towards the sound of something hitting the ground. Sasuke yelled out in pain. Was one of his legs missing?

"How?" Sasuke huffed out. "How do you have the Mangekyou?! How!" He slammed a fist into the ground.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Sasuke," Kakashi said. He sat on the ground. "I'm all out of chakra."

"I got it," Shikamaru said. He was walking out of the brush, his shadow attached to Sasuke.

Sasuke was incapable of walking, though. The black and purple consumed his body, transforming him. Shikamaru stumbled back, then a gust of wind hit, and Sasuke took to the sky. He was flying awkwardly, and not very high, yet.

 _Mind Transfer._ She only needed a second. It felt like knives shredding through Sasuke's wings. The pain was unbearable, and she instinctively recalled back to her own body. Naruto was atop Sasuke, punching him repeatedly in the face.

"Stop it, Naruto," Kakashi said, "you'll kill him."

Naruto, his chest moving sporadically, and blood running down his face and arms, glanced at Kakashi. "I'll keep him down," he said, "tie him up. Cover his eyes. Whatever. I'm done. I'm done."

Ino ran towards Sakura's body. "Sakura!" she yelled. She dropped to her knees and lifted Sakura's torso off the ground, putting Sakura across her lap. She leaned over her, crying and cradling Sakura's head to her chest. "Sakura!"

"Ino..." Sakura said.

"Sakura!"

"Ino, it hurts."

"I'm sorry," Ino said. She put Sakura onto the ground, flat.

Kakashi knelt by Sakura and starting using some basic healing jutsu on her. "You did good, Sakura," he said, "both of you."

Ino smiled. "Yeah," she said, looking over Sakura. Sakura reached a hand forward. Ino held onto it and wiped the tears away with her forearm.


	24. Solid Grey Lines

Ino looked through the glass, pressing a hand to it. Her other clenched over her heart as she watched Sakura's lover sitting beside her bed, stroking the side of her head of pink hair. There was nothing here for her, so Ino wiped her eyes and turned her back on the hospital.

The underground confinements were where she was meant to be. "Look at you," she said, "arms chained behind your back, blind and missing a leg. Do you comprehend what you have put us through?"

Sasuke didn't lift his head. The restraint over his eyes made him look weak, if not all the more soulless. "All you had to do was leave me alone," he said, "it wasn't your business."

"You're wrong," she said, "we're your family. Sakura, Naruto, the whole village."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. Through them, he muttered, "Family? My family is gone, and this village has done nothing to take down the one who did it. Only me. What right did any of you have to stop me?"

"When you joined a criminal," she said, "it was the only right we needed."

"The law?" Sasuke asked. He pulled his body forward. "The law?!" Spit clung to his lips. He slammed his back into the cell wall, pushing himself up onto his one leg, a clear space behind him, contorting his posture where his binding held his arms together. "Where is _my_ justice? My father's? My mother's? My clan's? What have any of you done!"

"Sasuke, I'm sorry," Ino said.

"Sorry? That's all any of you ever are. Sorry this, sorry for that, sorry for me. I don't want your pity. I don't want anything from any of you! Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Because I can't understand what you're going through. But we want to be there for you."

"No, you can't understand," he said. His tone grew distant. "Where were you... Where were any of you? For years, I was alone, and now you come here pretending we're family?!" He slid down the wall. Sitting, his shoulders shook. He choked back a cry, but couldn't hide the tears. "Where were you then? I was just a kid. Everything was taken from me, and no one cared. I understood then, that in this world, I am alone. I had to be a man. Get strength. Get justice. Only I could do that for me."

What could she say to that? He was right. She didn't pay attention to that lonely little boy, only the dark and handsome boy he grew into. In a way, they created him just as much as his brother did. But it was still no excuse. "You nearly killed her," she said.

Sasuke turned his head. "It was never my desire to hurt any of you," he said, "you just got in my way."

"Still, to me, that is unforgiveable," she said.

"So much for all your talk of family."

Despite his warped actions, she couldn't deny the dilemma he was in, or the truth to his words. "You don't have to consider us family, and I don't know how you view Naruto, but she loved you—loves you," Ino said.

Sasuke laughed. "Love?" he asked, "you call that love? Do you think I'm stupid? She was nothing more than an annoying schoolgirl with a crush."

"Maybe that's true. Maybe that's how it started, but I've seen her pure thoughts. She definitely grew attached to you. How can you say she doesn't love you after all she went through for you? Both of them. Even now, they'd forgive you."

"I don't want forgiveness. My only regret is not killing him when I had the chance."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

"No, you don't," Ino said, "you still hesitated, and I think I know why, Sasuke. Do you?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"It's because, deep down, all you want is love. But, it doesn't have to come from those you've lost."

"You don't get it. You think you're safe? That any of us are safe? One man slaughtered the strongest clan in all of Konoha, and he's still out there."

"You're afraid?" she asked.

"Of course I am! How blind can you people be?! I'm afraid to lose more people I care about. I'm terrified to be alone again, but it's only a matter of time. So, I made the choice, before anyone else could for me."

"Sasuke, no one has to die. People will, but they might not, too. What happened to your clan wasn't normal. It was planned from someone within the village. We won't leave you so easily."

Sasuke hung his head low, nearly falling over. "Why did you do it?" he whispered. "Why, brother?"

Ino, her anger receding, and despite being terrified of him, wanted to comfort him. He wasn't just a scared little boy, nor a monster. He was a man who grew atop the deepest scar. But the bars were between them, so she just sat herself down on the other side. "I won't leave you," she said, "I'll visit every chance I can."

Sasuke didn't respond.


	25. The Blood Moon Memories

"Ino? What are you doing here?" Hinata asked. She was coming down the prison hall.

"I could ask you the same," Ino said.

"I want to see the one who did that to her with my own eyes."

Ino scratched the back of her neck. "I was talking to him," she said, "I think you should leave him alone."

"He won't even know I was there."

"Are you sure? He's blind and clever."

"It doesn't matter so long as he doesn't know it's me."

"...I'll go with you," Ino said, "there's actually something I forgot to ask him." She started walking back where she came. Hinata followed by her side. The hall was a poorly lit rock tunnel carved down into the earth. It might intimidate criminals, but did it have to be so cold to everyone else, too? Maybe it was just convenience.

"What did you talk to him about?" Hinata asked.

"Just guilt tripping him. And he returned the favor a bit."

"What?"

"He doesn't see this village as his home, and I have a hard time finding a reason why he should," Ino said. Her face contorted in pain and she glanced away from Hinata. "I can't imagine what it's like."

"What?"

"Living with the knowledge. Those memories. It's easy to forget. No one ever mentions _that_ event. It's kind of strange, but I guess when there is only one person alive who it affects, it makes sense."

"...The only thing I know is that his brother made his clan disappear in a single night."

Hinata's words were soft, yet the way they beat around the bush almost made it worse. Ino's stomach turned. "Do you hate him?" Ino asked. It was odd how calm Hinata seemed.

"I'll know when I see him," Hinata said.

The two stood meters away from the bars. Ino started walking towards them, her footsteps loud, and Hinata followed quietly. "Sasuke," Ino said.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"It occurred to me... say you... killed him. What then?"

"Until I have it, there is nothing beyond my vengeance."

"And what if you got your revenge and realized you wanted to be with Naruto and Sakura again? Yet, as a criminal, you couldn't be?"

"My hatred is unending. Even if that ridiculous scenario took place, it would only be after I killed my brother. I fail to see any point to your question."

"There's no way you can see yourself here?"

"For the past six years, all I have wanted is to kill him. If I were strong enough to do it, I'd just do it and whatever happened after would be something else. But a couple years ago... I wasn't even close to him."

"Sasuke, why did he let you live?" Hinata asked.

Ino turned to Hinata. "Hinata?" she asked.

"I don't care what he knows," Hinata said. She stepped forward, bringing her face mere inches from the bars. "Something about this doesn't make sense."

"I get it now," Sasuke said, "you and Sakura have become close. That's why she was fighting like that."

"I told you he's too observant," Ino said.

"Sasuke, Sakura and I are..." Hinata said. She raised a hand to her mouth and rubbed her thumb against her lips. "We're having sex."

"Hinata!"

"It was the fastest way to make myself understood."

Sasuke laughed. "And yet, she still chases after me," he said, "how stupid."

"You're her friend!" Hinata said.

"Friend? Would a friend do that to her?"

"It doesn't matter what you think, in her heart, she sees you that way. She's very important to me and you nearly killed her! Answer my question!"

"I don't care about any of that," Sasuke said.

"What!?"

"I don't care at all," Sasuke said, "I don't care who you're sleeping with, and if she dies, it's none of my business." He slid his foot against the ground (he was sitting) so his one knee came up. He scratched his chin against it. "I can still feel my other leg," he said. "When I woke up this morning, I thought I could walk. I fell to my face and squirmed. All for nothing. Who was I hurting out there? You assume that because Orochimaru is a criminal, that I must be. Well, you all got your wish. Now I am."

"Are you blaming Sakura for what happened to you now?" Hinata asked, "you think we'll pity you for that?"

"No. It was just a tool. I'm saying the only injustice here is that my brother is alive. Why is that so hard to understand?"

It really was the only thing he thought about. "Deserting the village _is_ a crime," Ino said.

"We've been over this. Uchiha Itachi is a criminal, and I am the only one willing and capable of taking him down."

"What?" Ino asked, "you still think you can defeat him?"

"I'll find a way."

This level of obsession was beyond abnormal. "From within here?" she asked.

"Orochimaru is desperate."

Ino couldn't understand why either of them would go so far for hatred or power.

"Sasuke," Hinata asked, "you still haven't answered my question. Why are you alive?"

"Because Kakashi is weak."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Heh. You know, for the longest time, I asked myself that very question everyday," Sasuke said, "every time I did, the answer was the same: to make me suffer." He lifted his head. "But something didn't feel right about that. Then..." He grit his teeth. "I remembered something and realized it's because he's guilty. He wants me to kill him."

Hinata put her thumb and index finger around her chin, her head held down in thought. "That doesn't make any sense," she said, lifting her head. "Why not just let you kill him then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "He's a coward, or has some twisted sense of honor left," he said, "how should I know what goes through his head?"

"I'm still not buying it," Hinata said. "For someone who claims to have such great eyes... He killed his own parents and left his only sibling alive, and you think it was merely out of guilt?"

Sasuke turned his head and went silent.

Ino asked the question for him, "What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying, isn't it possible that he simply didn't want to kill him?"

"Shut up..." Sasuke said.

"He killed his own parents, everyone in the clan, the elderly, children... all in a senseless act," Ino said, "how could someone like that spare anyone out of love?"

"Shut up."

"Maybe he didn't want to kill them, either," Hinata said.

"Shut up!"

Ino looked at Sasuke. Tears were running down his cheeks. "If that's true, then there was a reason he killed them?" Ino asked.

Sasuke said nothing.

"Wasn't your brother part of the special forces?" Hinata asked.

"My brother was nothing but a monster," Sasuke said.

"Was he always a monster?"

"..."

"Sasuke, think. Did anything strange happen before..."

"..."

Ino turned to Hinata and said, "He'd rather not even discuss it. Let's just go."

"I think we're getting somewhere," Hinata said.

Ino got close to her. "I don't like where this is going," she whispered. "If what you're suggesting is true, then there is someone who doesn't want us to know."

"That's... You're right," Hinata said, "let's go."

The two began to walk away.

"Wait," Sasuke said.

"What?"

"Ino. Do it."

"Huh?" Ino asked.

" _It._ What only _you_ can do."

Ino raised a brow. She glanced about, then wrapped an arm under Hinata's.

"Ino?" Hinata asked.

 _Mind Transfer._

 _You wanted to understand me, didn't you?_ Sasuke asked.

 _What are you getting at?_ Ino asked.

 _I'm going to try to hypnotize us. Even without being able to see, I wonder... If I imagine you, and you I, I wonder if it'll work._

 _Is this some trick?_

 _There were a few strange things that happened around that time, but I can't remember them clearly. I want to show you my memories._

 _...Ok. I don't know why, maybe it's curiosity, but I'm going to trust you._

 _Heh. As if I could do anything like this. Okay. I'm going to do it._

What a strange feeling. As if being in another's mind wasn't enough, now she was in his memories. Odd conversations between his brother and father. A severe admiration for them both. The love of a mother and child. It was so intense. She didn't feel like she was just seeing his memories, but living them. As him. More odd conversations. Wait, what was that? Sasuke overheard something about when something was going to happen. Oh my god. The pain. The pain. She opened the door to see her parents slain. The pain. Those eyes. The whole murder. Again, and again.

Then she was looking up at Hinata. Her chest was heaving as she gasped for air.

"That was nothing," Sasuke said. "Seventy-two hours."

"What?" Hinata asked.

"He tortured me for seventy-two hours. Showing me my parent's last moments to his hands, over and over. Walking through the desolate streets, searching for any life. His words."

"I was just eight," Ino said.

"What?" Hinata asked, "what are you talking about, Ino?"

"Who's Ino?"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"If I had to guess, I'd say she's lost her sense of self," Sasuke said.

"What do I do?"

"If I could see, I could probably reverse the effects."

"You know that's not happening."

"Then take her to a genjutsu specialist, or a medical ninja."

Ino shook her head and stood up. She looked at her hands. "What is going on?" she asked, "who are you two? What is wrong with my voice?"


	26. Memory Scan

"So, if we can trust what Sasuke said, her mind is warped," Hinata said, "she believes she's Sasuke, at least to a certain point."

"I see," Kurenai said. She put her palm down on the arm of the chair and shifted herself, crossing her legs in the process. "Why was he showering her his memories?"

Hinata bit down on her lip. "It's probably nothing, but we were discussing the idea that the Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't random, but planned, and perhaps Uchiha Itachi wasn't working alone," Hinata said. She glanced away from Kurenai.

"Is that all?" the sensei asked.

Hinata was visibly uncomfortable. "It's just a feeling, but my gut tells me that he might have been working under orders," she said.

Kurenai's expression transformed from curiosity to shock. She shook her head. "Do you need something to drink, Hinata?" her sensei asked.

"N-no, that's okay."

"Why do you think he was under order?"

"His motivations don't make sense to me. On top of that, Sasuke says he remembered some strange occurrences happening around the time of the massacre. That doesn't sound like a scenario where a man slaughters his entire clan for no reason."

"You haven't told anyone any of this, right?"

Hinata shook her head "no."

"For your own safety, I wouldn't visit Sasuke again," Kurenai said. After giving Hinata a long look, she stood up and walked over to Ino. "Do you know who I am, Ino?"

Ino shook her head. "I don't know either of you, nor this 'Ino' I keep being called," she said. She turned her face away and pain spread across it. "Honestly, I have no idea why I am even here. I just can't think of any other place to be."

"Who are you?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

"And how old are you, Sasuke?"

"Fourteen."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

She felt sick. Her heart was heavy and her breathing quickened to a state of near hyperventilation. "He killed them," she said, "he killed them all." She started swaying forward and back, her equilibrium feeling off.

"That was six years ago. Do you understand that?"

Ino just stared forward.

"Hinata, watch her, I'm going to go get something," Kurenai said.

Hinata nodded and Kurenai exited the room. She wasn't sure what to do with Ino. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

"Run..."

"What?"

"...And cling to life, and then someday, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me. Run. Run. Run..."

Kurenai reentered the room. "What did you say to her?" she asked.

"I-I just asked her if she was going to be okay," Hinata said.

Ino was still staring forward, not focusing on either of them. "The same eyes," she said, "those eyes. I can see them so clearly."

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Hinata asked.

"I believe so," Kurenai said, "when Itachi reappeared a couple of years ago, he used a technique of the Mangekyou Sharingan on Hatake Kakashi."

"The Mangekyou Sharingan?"

"Yes. It seems to be a very well protected secret of the Uchiha," Kurenai said, "I have no idea how it is obtained. In-Sasuke, I want to show you something." Kurenai walked in front of Ino and held up a mirror. "Do you know who this is?"

"Yes," Ino said, "I've already realized I'm still trapped in an illusion."

"This is reality," Kurenai said, "you are a girl, and as you can see, nothing like an Uchiha."

Ino shook her head "no." "You're not real," she said, "I won't be tricked by this."

Kurenai put the mirror down, knelt on one knee before Ino, and lifted her hands to the girl's shoulders. "Sasuke, don't you know how to dispel genjutsu?" she asked.

She didn't want this woman touching her, but she was too scared to move without given permission. "Yes," she said. Her eyes became heavy. " _He_ taught me after all. I've tried, but I must be too weak. Still too weak…."

"You're not under genjutsu," Kurenai said, "you've always been the girl named Yamanaka Ino."

"No, you're wrong. Even if I'm a girl and I was tricked by him into believing otherwise, I am Uchiha Sasuke."

Kurenai sighed and stood up. "Well, of course it wasn't going to be that easy," she said, "but I had really hoped." She turned to Hinata. "I could try to place her under genjutsu and convince her that way, but I fear that may have detrimental effects, too. I think we need to take her to the Hokage."

"Please, stop talking about me like I'm not here," Ino said.

Hinata's brows dropped. She stepped forward with a smile and bright eyes. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," she said, "this must be a lot for you. Would you come with us to meet the Hokage?"

Why was this pretty stranger looking so kindly at her? No, it was just another trick. Don't fall for it and keep your guard up. Yet, she wanted to follow this girl and see what the Hokage had to say. It felt like ages since she had gotten a glimpse of him, back when the old man called a meeting with her father, the head of the police. "Okay," she said, "I'll see him."

Hinata's eyes fell. "Sasuke, the Third Hokage has been dead for a couple years," she said.

Ino lifted her head. "Then?"

"You'll meet her soon."

The Godaime Hokage was an older, but beautiful woman. She nearly pushed her assistant (she had been called Shizune) out of the way with a smile. "Hi there," she said, "I heard you have an important emergency for me to deal with." Why was she so happy? Ino didn't believe there was an emergency, but say there was...

Kurenai began filling in the Hokage with the details.

"That is peculiar," she said with a hand to her chin. "I don't know about any of these suspicions you are having, Hinata, but our first priority is to get Ino back."

"Please, stop calling me that," she said, "it isn't my name, and I don't like the implication that I am crazy."

The Hokage sweated and threw her hands forward, shaking them in a way that said "stop, I'm sorry." What a strange woman. "You're not crazy," she said.

"How precious," Kurenai said, holding up a picture frame, "you keep a photo of your pupil on your work desk."

The Hokage turned to Kurenai and smiled. "Well, Sakura is my cute young disciple," she said.

"Sakura?" Ino asked. She froze. Her heart tried to race out of her chest. "Sakura..."

Kurenai was staring at her now. She looked down at the photo then turned it for Ino to see. "Do you remember her?" she asked.

Ino looked at the photo for a while, then shook her head "no." "I feel like I know her, but there is nothing," she said. Maybe there was some truth to what these people were saying. Could six years so easily be forgotten? Though, maybe she was still living in _his_ world.

"Sakura is her best friend, if I'm not mistaken," the Hokage said.

Kurenai looked to Hinata.

"Yes..." Hinata said, "her best friend."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" the Hokage said, "let's take her to see her!"

"You're coming, too?" Kurenai asked, a bit of surprise across her face.

"She just wants to avoid her paperwork," Shizune said.

The Hokage laughed. "That's true," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "But if she remembers anything about that night, I want to be the first to know. And I don't want any of you speaking about any of his to anyone, got it? That includes you, Kurenai."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said.

Kurenai shut the door behind them.

Ino stood before a pink haired girl sitting up in a hospital bed. "What's going on?" the girl asked, "why is the Hokage here?"

"Sakura," Ino said. She took a step forward. "Sakura?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Ino?" she asked.

"Sakura..."

Hinata looked at the Hokage, then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, don't be alarmed, but you're the only one she seems to know," she said.

"What? What's happened to her?" Sakura asked, her voice soft with the concern on her face.

"It's a long story that we'll fill you in on later," Hinata said, "for now, just talk to her."

Sakura fell silent. "Okay," she eventually said. "Ino? How-how are you?"

Ino walked closer. She stopped a few feet from the bed and looked over the girl. Her chest felt both tight and like it wanted to get closer to the pink haired girl. "I think I love this girl," she said.

"I-Ino, I love you too," the girl called Sakura said, "we're good friends."

"Even Sakura thinks I'm Ino," she said. A pain shot through her head. She clenched her eyes and grit her teeth as she doubled over, falling to her knees and resting her upper body on Sakura's bed. She covered the sides of her head with her hands.

"Ino?!" Sakura's voice said.

Ino felt a hand on her back. "It hurts," she said, "Sakura, it hurts. Where are you, Sakura?"

"I'm right here, Ino."

Sakura. Sakura. That's right. Sakura and Hinata.

Ino felt her body shaking. She turned to look at Hinata, still holding her head and now leaning her side against the bed. _Hinata,_ she thought, _Hinata...and... Sakura._ She felt tears running down her cheeks. _Hinata...and... Sakura._ That reality played over and over in her head as she stared at Hinata. She felt her body drift away.

Ecstasy filled her as she panted. Sakura's warm body moved with passion from atop her, a hand underneath her dress. "Sakura," she said, her entire body trembling.

"You're so beautiful, Hinata."

Then she was rocking back and forth, sitting on the floor by the hospital bed.

"Ino!" Sakura's voice said, "are you alright?"

Her back was being rubbed. Cold sweat sprung from her whole body. She just wanted to sleep.

"Say something, Ino," a different voice came from her side.

Ino opened her eyes to see Hinata crouched by her, one of her hands on her shoulder. "Don't touch me!" Ino said. Her breathing was frantic.

Hinata fell back. "Ino?" she asked.

Ino looked around. It felt like she had awakened from both heaven and a nightmare. What was real anymore?

Hinata had a curled-up index finger over her mouth. She looked worried. Maybe frightened.

Ino remembered thinking that this pretty girl was a kind person. When was that? Minutes ago? Years ago? A different life? "I-I'm sorry, Hinata," she said.

"Is that you, Ino?" Hinata asked.

"Yes," she said. Her body froze. She looked around, catching the eyes of Tsunade and Kurenai. "I don't think the Uchiha were massacred, but more like they were executed."

All of their eyes went wide, except Sakura's. "What's going on?" she asked.

"No," Tsunade said, "don't say anything further. You all stay here. I'm going to get Kakashi and send him over, then call for Jiraiya. When Kakashi gets here, I want Hinata, Ino, and you, Kurenai, to come to my office."

"Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"A handful of people come to mind who can't be trusted," Tsunade said, "watch these kids with your life."

"There's more," Ino said.

"I imagine," Tsunade said, "but don't utter a single word until I tell you to. That's an order."


	27. Jabbing at Windmills

"I think I got it," Jiraiya said. His arms were crossed as he stood in the Hokage's office. Between them was an atmosphere that spoke of equals, despite the Hokage's next words.

"Surprised you're so serious this easily," she said, "just filling the hole?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "This time is serious, little Tsunade," he said. Then he smiled. "Though, I'd still love to give yours a shot."

Tsunade returned the narrowed eyes. She glanced at Shizune, who looked confused for a second, then narrowed her eyes in return. Then the Hokage's lips moved up at the corners. "What do you think?" she asked the Toad Sage.

"Sasuke."

"My thoughts exactly. This has all revolved around the Uchiha, and if anyone had to benefit from their destruction..."

"It'd be them three, yes."

Tsunade rapped her fingers on the wood desk. She then sent a glance to Shizune, Kuranai, and then the two girls. "I hate to wrap you both in this, but I can't trust anyone right now but my jounin."

"Is Sakura okay?" Hinata asked.

Ino bit her lip. She could feel her eyelids fluttering; she was trying to keep them open.

The Hokage folded her fingers about a foot off the desk. "Yes. Kakashi arrived about twenty minutes ago."

Hinata's chest deflated.

Ino should have been the only one feeling that.

"We need guards around Sasuke," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade nodded.

"We should check on him first. With these kinds of enemies..."

Tsunade smiled. "You really would have made a fine Hokage."

Jiraiya laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "With someone who had as nice tits like yours around me, sure," he said.

Tsunade frowned, but it didn't look sincere. "Let's go," she said.

Shizune was left at the office, but the two girls had to tag along, given the concern.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded and put her fingers up to her face. "Byukagan!" she said.

After a pause, her eyes went wide. "We're surrounded," she said.

Jiraiya planted his hands to the ground. A red, weird gooeyness engulfed the area.

"What is this?" Ino asked. It felt like she was almost about to be pulled in, but with each movement, she could pull away.

"It's the stomach of a giant toad. I'm in complete control. Only an enemy will be absorbed."

The four continued to walk down the hall towards Sasuke.

"Here they come!" Hinata said. She pushed Ino aside.

Ino glared at the girl then watched as Tsunade punched what looked to be an anbu in the throat. Jiraiya wove some seals then breathed fire on another two. Ino's chest pounded like mad. Hinata may have saved her life. These were jounin attacking the Lengedary Sannin. She had heard stories, and these Anbu were terrifying, less than Sasuke, but the way The Two destroyed them was even scarier than him. Suddenly, confronting the displaced Uchiha didn't seem so horrific.

But it didn't stop then. Waves of these masked ninja appeared. Within the chaos, Ino couldn't protect herself. Hinata was left to that job for her. Her eyes dropped in shame. "Thank you," she muttered under her breath.

For a second, Hinata didn't respond with anything more than a glance. Then she smiled.

This really wasn't Ino's place. Her heart was pounding in fear. Everything she and Hinata had discussed probably had some truth to it.

"Some of their chakra is slowly disappearing," Hinata said.

Ino looked at the Hyuuga girl. Her lavender eyes were narrowed.

"The toad is digesting them," Jiraiya explained.

Ino's eyes widened. Hinata was looking at her now. For a second, the girl looked terrified. Then her eyes looked before her, narrowed, as if to tell Ino, "We're chunin now."

The group continued down the hall. Soon, screams were heard. They were only a faint echo at first, but then...

"That's Sasuke!" Ino said. She felt her hands trembling. The reality of everything started to wash before her. Life. Death. Sakura. Sasuke. She couldn't bring herself forward. Then, a hand went to her back.

"C'mon, Ino, we're going forward. Together," Hinata said.

Ino looked up at Hinata's stern face. The Hyuuga explained, "For her. For him."

Ino felt herself choking with each shake of her head.

Neither of the two were prepared for what they were about to see. Tsunade looked away, and Jiraiya said something along the lines of, "It wasn't your fault."

Before the four, was Sasuke, curled up on the ground and clenching his face. The eye restraint was gone and blood gushed from where his eyes should have been.


	28. Rest

Kakashi tapped on the cover of the latest novel by Jiraiya. He characteristically watched the older man and asked, "So, it wasn't a late prank?"

Jiraiya leaned a hand on his cheek, glancing away. "Sadly, no," he said, "I was unmotivated and drank way more than I ever have. I hadn't drank in a while, either. It gave me a push, but... Well, the results were... Honestly, I can't believe I didn't pass out. I've done so for less."

Kakashi picked the book pack up and thumbed through the pages. He brought a teacup to his mask with his other hand, and somehow made it work. "Well, it's certainly an improvement," he said, "though, I still think it's not what your readers want. I mean, you write smut. What is this, all of a sudden? Going back to finish a story fourteen years old? Why?"

"I need a legacy that'll change the world."

"I don't think you need a book to do that, sensei. You've done so much as it is. Just give your readers what they want. There is nothing wrong with smut. It's just entertainment, like everything else. If it brings joy to people, then you've done all you could. But this? I just don't understand."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, why is everyone bisexual, for starters? It seems really farfetched."

"Have you visited the nation of the samurai?"

"Okay, sure, but that's not _you,"_ Kakashi said, "I find it hard to believe you wrote this." All of a sudden, Kakashi's free eye dropped down to look at the hand of the older man atop his.

Jiraiya felt his cheeks get red. "S-sorry, you're probably right. Writing this has done something to my head, I think. B-but, anyways, it's not like I'm charging anyone for it. This one... This one is just for me, and anyone who will listen, I guess."

"Well, you know what they say..."

Jiraiya found himself stroking Kakashi's hand again. "What do they say, kohai?"

"Erm, Jiraiya, are you gay?"

"Me? What!? No! It's... It's..."

Just then, Jiraiya looked around. Chaos. He could hear nothing but a harsh ringing rattling his inner ear, piercing his thoughts. Are those some limbs? Anbu? Tsunade? Ka..Kakashi? _Not gay,_ Jiraiya thought, shaking his head. But it was no time to be happy about being out of that nightmare. There was a new one to deal with.

He stood up, stumbling over to Shizune who was over the body of Ino. A flash came up to his side and threw back a fist. Bone snapped under his backhand and a loud crash his the tunnel wall. They needed to get out of the jailing area. It was too advantageous for Danzo and his organization. How could the third have let this happen?

"Just go, I'm fine," a voice said.

"R-right, Sasuke. We're not leaving without you, though."

"Sakura."

Jiraiya turned to see the young ninja standing up. To her side was Sasuke, around his eyes dried blood stained, and a blindfold over what Jiraiya presumed to be empty sockets.

"Hey, you pervy sensei!"

"Naruto?" Jiraiya asked. Bodies. Fighting. Something touched his leg. Naruto wasn't looking too good, but he crawled to his feet. Heat rose within Jiraiya. Finally, he felt sober. "Enough!"

His fingers came together in the form of seals and barrage of fireballs lit up the air. Danzo turned just in time to be set ablaze. After the flames settled, he stood unharmed. _What happened?_ Jiraiya thought. Another illusion? No, he was certain he caught Danzo off guard, so then why?

"He just won't stay down," Naruto said. He had one hand on the ground and the other on his knee. His palm slid off his pants and stumbling back down. He reached up, grabbing Jiraiya's hand and finally made it to his feet. "Sharingan on his right arm, sensei. For some reason, one keeps closing from time to time."

 _So, it is a genjutsu_ , Jiraiya thought.

There was thunder, then dust billowed up. Tsunade stood where Danzo had previously been. Purple designs were running down from her face. It had already gotten that bad. Just how long was Jiraiya under genjutsu? And what had been used on him? Those thoughts could wait—he noticed another eye closing. Nothing had hit Danzo, though, so it could be that it wasn't in reaction to anything in particular. It appeared there were still four open, but Jiraiya couldn't be certain Danzo didn't have anymore tricks.

* * *

The feeling that made her want to turn and run was quickly replaced by rage as her eyes met Danzo. Who even was she, Ino wondered. No, it didn't matter. She was just sick of it all—all the fighting. But she went over to Naruto. Her hands began to glow green.

"Thanks," he said.

"You're alright?"

"Yeah, but..." What was that look? Concern? Anger? "I'm just about out of chakra..." His teeth clenched. "Damnit! I want to do more!"

His shoulder shook against Ino's palm. "Naruto, c'mon," she said. "We've done all we can. Leave the rest to the adults. You've worked hard enough." Despite herself, she felt a smile tugging at her lips. It didn't appease Naruto, though. His eyes went tight and he shook his head.

"It's all his fault... All of this is because of him!"

"Naruto?"

"He took Sasuke's family!"

"Naruto, it's more complicated than that!"

"I don't care!"

"Naruto, calm down," Sasuke said. Ino shifted. Blind, slowly moving forward, he looked a mess, but managed to stand straight.

"Sasuke?"

"I want him dead, Naruto, but this isn't your fight. Or theirs."

"Sasuke, you can't be serious," Ino said.

"I told you before: I will have my revenge."

"Damnit, Sasuke! Are you out of your mind?!" Naruto said. His eyes were red and got up in his former friend's face. Sasuke didn't flinch. Sure, he was blind, but being a ninja of his level, he surely was aware of what was going on. "I'll take care of this for you. Because I'm your friend, damnit!"

"Cut that crap out, Naruto! You don't know the first thing about me!"

"I do, you idiot! I know so much it hurts! I might not be good with words, but I know, Sasuke! I know so much, don't think I won't hit you just because you can't see! I'll hit you until the skin on my knuckles is gone, if that's what it takes! I'll hit you until my bones shred! Because you're my friend! What do you think this all is? This is what happens when you try to do everything on your own. You weren't strong enough to stop us, you weren't strong enough to stop him, you weren't stong enough to do anything on your own. Don't you get it by now?"

"Naruto! Shut up!"

"That's enough!" Sakura's voice rang. "Both of you! Sasuke, if you want to stop us, then just try it."

Sasuke's head fell a bit, then a flash came over his face and Ino noticed his canines. Some blood trickled down his chin. "I give up," he said.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"I can't stop you now."

"That's right," Sakura said. She was walking over and fixing her gloves. "Just leave the rest to us."

"Naruto," Sasuke said. He was baring his teeth at the ground again.

"What?"

"Take my chakra."

Naruto's face slowly changed, not that his friend could see. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Yeah," he said, "alright."

"Hey, Sakura," Ino said. Somehow, the world seemed dimmer. "When'd you get here?"

"Katsuyu contacted me."

"Are you in any condition to fight?"

"I should be asking the same of you."

"Yeah..." Ino knew what had to be done, but couldn't find the energy. She tried her hardest to smile at her friend, but everything felt empty. "Where's Hinata?" she asked.

* * *

"64 palms!" Hinata shouted. Panting, she watched as the masked ninja collapsed. She followed suit. _I... I did it,_ she thought. It hurt to smile, to take in air, but she couldn't suppress the fire within. The Byakugan ate up the last of her chakra, then disappeared along with her vision. All the lights in the area had been destroyed during the fight. Elsewhere, she could here the chaos continue, but she was satisfied with herself. Faith in the others let her rest her eyes.

When she could see again, Sakura was over her, their fingers locked. "Hi-Hinata" Sakura said, "I was getting worried." Those lips she loved turned into that smile.

"What's going on?" Hinata asked.

"Everything is going to be alright," Sakura said, "Things got crazy for a bit, but Danzo... Well..."

"He's dead?"

"Yeah..."

Hinata's eyes felt heavy. "I'm so tired," she said.

"Rest."


	29. Revival

His new leg worked fine, as did his eyes. But they were normal now. No longer did Sasuke Uchiha possess the sharingan.

One thing pulled him forward more than guilt. He needed to find his brother, no matter what.


End file.
